Duty Calls
by BobR
Summary: In which Tenchi is called to service and things don't quite work out as planned
1. Surprise

Disclaimer

Tenchi and all associated characters are the property of AIC and Pioneer LDC.  I don't own any rights to them.  Any other characters are property of their respective copyright holders, not me.

*****

Duty Calls

Chapter 1

Surprise 

*****

 "Tenchi!" Washu rushed out of her lab waving what looked like a perfectly ordinary envelope.  "Tenchi!  You've got mail!"  She couldn't see her erstwhile son-in-law anywhere.

Ryoko faded into view before her mother and tried to snatch the letter.  "Gimme," she grunted as Washu jerked the paper out of her reach.  "Mom, I'm his wife so I can look at his mail if I want to."

Washu smiled evilly at he daughter.  "Think so, do you?  Well Ayeka's his wife too so maybe I can give it to her."  The small scientist wheeled around and headed towards the kitchen where the sound of utensils crashing told the tale of the two Juraian princesses preparing dinner.  Or rather one preparing and the other getting in the way.  Ryoko dashed after her mother.

"Washu, I'm sorry," the cyan haired woman apologized.  "I just get so excited about him and anything that has to do with him..."  She skidded to a stop as something suddenly occurred to her.  "By the way, how did _you_ get a hold of my Tenchi's mail?"

Washu stopped and looked over her shoulder.  "Well, daughter-mine, it seems that I'm the only one on this planet with a subspace mailbox so it's addressed to Tenchi in care of _my_ lab."

"What was Miss Washu?" came Ayeka's voice from the kitchen door.  The First Princess and Empress-to-be of the mightiest empire in the galaxy bustled into the room, wiping her hands on her apron.  "Ryoko, could you go find Tenchi and tell him that dinner's almost ready?  I think he's working in the far carrot field today."

Ryoko's gaze shifted between her mother and Ayeka several times before she answered.  "Uh, sure, I guess.  But why can't you just call him through our link?"

Ayeka shook her head in exasperation.  "Because that is not the proper way to summon our husband home for the evening meal.  Haven't I been able to teach you anything in the last few years?"

Ryoko scratched the back of her head in a perfect imitation of Tenchi.  "Um…"  She saw Ayeka and Washu glaring at her.  "All right, all right.  I'm going, see?"  She started to fade out.  A ghostly finger pointed at Washu.  "Don't let her open that letter before I get back," the pirate's now ethereal voice warned.  Washu stuck her tongue out at the now empty spot where her daughter had been standing.

"And stop by the shrine to tell brother Yosho as well!" Ayeka called as her friend's form disappeared into nothingness.  She turned back to the kitchen where a sudden curse told them that some part of dinner wasn't quite right.  Ayeka winced.  "Ever since Sasami's started growing she's picked up some very bad habits."

"Probably from Ryoko," Washu stated with a chuckle.  

Ayeka nodded her head in agreement.  "That woman!  I'm sorry Miss Washu, but I've been trying to teach her manners, she just doesn't want to learn.  And now she's corrupting my little sister."

Washu smiled at Ayeka's comments.  "Not so little anymore, she's taller than you now.  Besides, aside from a few bad words here and there, I think Ryoko's been a positive influence on Sasami.  And don't consider yourself a total failure; you've managed to calm Ryoko quite a bit.  And civilize her some too."

Ayeka sighed and then smiled.  "I guess you're right.  By the way, what's this letter you two were arguing about?"

Washu held the missive up for the princess to inspect and Ayeka's eyes lit up as she read the seal on the envelope.  "A letter from the Juraian government!  Maybe they are finally going to recognize my love for the part he played in bringing Kagato down.  Although that was almost ten years ago now…"  She shrugged noncommittally.  "Bureaucracies move slowly sometimes I guess."  She noticed the look in Washu's eyes and the frown on her face.  "You've already read it, haven't you?  And that's not it, is it?"  Her eyes fell.  "It's bad news, right?"

Washu's eyes met Ayeka's and the scientist's frown slowly turned into a smile.  "Well, that all depends on your point of view.  It's not that bad and no, I'm not going to tell you.  You'll have to wait with Ryoko until Tenchi opens it himself."

*****

The dinner was a typical family affair with Tenchi's two children getting into a small food fight and Ryoko joining in by letting fly at Ayeka.  Unfortunately the princess saw it coming and ducked, the glob of rice taking Sasami, who was coming through the kitchen door, right between the eyes.  Even Katsuhito chuckled at the sight of his youngest sister standing there cross-eyed as sticky grains of rice slowly peeled away from her face and fell to the floor.  Sasami's mouth opened to yell at Ryoko until she saw her reflection in the window.  Her mouth snapped shut and her lips twitched as she tried to keep from laughing at the sight.  What she saw was the image of Tsunami standing there stunned as rice dripped from her forehead.  

The letter from Jurai sat unopened on the table near the phone all through dinner.  Ayeka kept glancing nervously at it while Ryoko pointedly ignored it just to get under the princess' skin.  Tenchi had promised everyone that he would open it first thing after the meal and as soon as the dishes were cleared the kids ran to get it for their father.  There was a small squabble over who would be the one to give it to him but it was settled by Ryoko deftly plucking it from her daughter's pudgy hand.  She presented it to her husband with a flourish.

"My Lord," she bowed deeply.  "Your letter."  She turned and thumbed her nose at Ayeka.

Tenchi took the envelope and Ryoko floated over to the princess and sat down beside her.  Ayeka smacked her across one shoulder then folded her hands politely in her lap.  With a wicked grin, Ryoko leaned over and whispered something in Ayeka's ear.  The princess' eyes got wide and her face turned a deep red.  The pirate snickered and nuzzled her head against Ayeka's cheek, embarrassing her even more.  

Tenchi cleared his throat.  "If you two are done, I'll open this now," he announced.

Ayeka pulled away from Ryoko and gave Tenchi her rapt attention.  Ryoko too turned her attention to their husband, but she also noticed that the princess didn't move _too_ far away.  She started to snake an arm around the Juraian's shoulders only to receive a poke in the ribs from Ayeka's elbow.  "Stop it Ryoko," the princess said out of the side of her mouth.  "We'll continue this later."  Ryoko smiled slyly then put on her most innocent face and gave Tenchi her undivided attention.

Tenchi made a great show of opening the envelope and taking out the letter.  He unfolded it and began reading.  His jaw dropped open and the farther he read the wider it got.  By the time he reached the end of the brief letter he was numb and the paper slid out of his limp fingers and floated gently to the floor where it was immediately snatched up by a cyan blur.

"What's it say Tenchi?" Ryoko asked as her golden eyes moved down the paper.  Her own mouth fell open and this time it was the princess' turn to grab the letter.

"Drafted.  I've been drafted," said Tenchi in a weak voice.  Ayeka finished reading the letter and calmly handed it to Katsuhito.  The old priest's eyes moved rapidly from side to side as he scanned the document.

"Yes, indeed you have," Tenchi's grandfather said as he set the paper down on the table.  "Congratulations."

Tenchi's head snapped around and he looked at his grandfather in shock.  "What do you mean 'congratulations'?  This is terrible, there must be some mistake."

"No Tenchi," said Ayeka from behind him.  "No mistake.  It is the duty of every Juraian to serve a brief time in the military.  When you were confirmed as a true prince of Jurai as well as my husband a few years ago, you assumed that obligation too.  It just took them this long to track you down."

Tenchi turned to her.  "But, but, but…"  Her finger gently touching his lips stopped him.

"Shhh.  It's your duty," she said to him, following her finger with her lips.  The children giggled as they watched the scene unfold.  Washu took it upon herself to escort them outside for some after dinner playtime before they made any comments and ruined the moment.  The scientist motioned with her head for Sasami to follow.  Katsuhito also followed a moment later, to give the trio some time alone.

Tenchi sat down wearily in the spot recently vacated by his mother-in-law and put his face in his hands.  "Why do these things always happen to me?" he moaned.  "Don't they know I have a family now?"  Ryoko put her arm around him and patted him on the shoulder as Ayeka sat down on his other side.  

"There, there Tenchi," the pirate said condescendingly.  "It'll be all right; it probably is a mistake, you know how those Juraians are."   The princess gave her counterpart a dirty look and Ryoko countered by sticking out her tongue this time.

"It's not that bad dear," Ayeka explained.  "I'm sure you'll be given a minor commission and assigned to palace duty.  Then we can _all_ live on Jurai for a few years while you fulfill your service.  Won't that be nice Ryoko?"

"Uh, sure," the pirate mumbled, seriously doubting if the adjective 'fun' could describe how she was feeling at the prospect of living on Jurai for any length of time.  "But the princess is right dearest," she continued to Tenchi.  "You'll be given some easy duty and time will fly by.  We'll be back home before you know it.  Besides, we can always come here for a visit when you're on leave."

Ayeka's head bobbed up and down in agreement.  "Yes, yes.  Listen to her Tenchi.  You'll see; father will make sure that we all stay together.  After all, you're Prince Consort to the future Empress."

"And I'm Princess Consort," piped in Ryoko.

"Don't remind me," said Ayeka in a low tone.

Ryoko's eyes widened at that remark.  "Hey!  I thought we've been getting along rather well.  At least you seem to be enjoying yourself."  Ayeka blushed even though no one was around to see it.

"It's not that, not really," Tenchi raised his head.  "It's just that grandpa expects me to take over the shrine in a couple of years."

"He'll wait," said Ayeka.  "He's waited 700 years, a bit longer won't hurt."

"But the kids…" Tenchi started.

"Will come to Jurai with us," said Ryoko with a small shrug.  "I suppose it's time they started learning about their heritage anyway."

"Then it's settled," Ayeka clapped her hands on her knees and stood up.  "We're going to Jurai.  Washu and Sasami will probably want to stay here and Mihoshi can't leave her assigned post so I guess it's just us three and the children.  Once we're settled in everyone else can come for a visit."

"When do we have to be there Tenchi?" Ryoko asked, not having got that far in the letter.

Tenchi's head was spinning from the way his wives had just made all the decisions without him.  He picked up the letter and reread it.  "I have to report in two weeks."

 "Two weeks?"  Ayeka pursed her lips.  " That doesn't give us much time to pack."

Tenchi decided it was time for him to reassert control of the situation.  "Two weeks is plenty of time for _me_ to get ready.  _You two_ are going to stay here until I call for you."

Both girls opened their mouths to argue but one look at Tenchi's expression told them it would be pointless.  Their mouths closed.  "Yes Tenchi."  "Ok dear, we'll do it your way."

*****

Two weeks later the family was gathered on the deck to say goodbye.  Mihoshi had received permission from her superiors to fly Tenchi to Jurai in Yukinojo, saving the Juraian government the expense of sending a courier for him.  He hefted his bag and started down the line taking his leave from everyone.  As he hugged her, he was again amazed at how much Sasami had grown, she really did look like Tsunami now even though the merging wasn't complete.  

Washu had assumed her adult form and as he embraced her she whispered in his ear that she would make sure his wives behaved themselves.  He wasn't sure if that was good or bad so he just thanked her.  He knew she'd also keep an eye on Sasami because the rapidly maturing princess had discovered _boys;_ which was the biggest reason she didn't want to leave Earth at the moment, something that caused Ayeka no end of concern.

Tenchi knelt down and took both his children in his arms.  He, Ayeka and Ryoko had tried over the past two weeks to explain to them why daddy had to go away.  He wasn't sure if they understood entirely but he knew they were looking forward to visiting their other grandmothers on Jurai.

Ryoko and Ayeka stood embracing each other, trying to hold back their tears.  Tenchi chuckled inwardly.  In public his wives were always bickering but in private and at moments like this it was obvious just how much they really cared for each other.  He gently separated them and gave them each a long farewell kiss.  He had to shake them both off before he could move on to his grandfather.  The minute they were loose they grabbed on to each other again and the tears finally started flowing.  Tenchi just shook his head in wonder.

"Got everything you need boy?" Katsuhito asked.  "You _did_ give the Master Key to Ayeka for safekeeping, didn't you?"  Tenchi assured him that he had.  The old priest had informed him that he would not be allowed to have the sword while he was being trained, as it would give him an unfair advantage over the other trainees.  After he was assigned Ayeka would bring it when she, Ryoko and the kids joined him.  Likewise, he was told to try not to use the Lighthawk Wings or any of his other powers.  Washu had offered to fit him with an inhibitor and he was tempted but ended up politely declining when he considered the source.  Besides, he'd seen Skuld puttering about in Washu's lab and he still remembered what had happened to Ryoko the last time the little goddess had taken it upon herself to 'improve' one of Washu's gadgets.  He shook his grandfather's hand and turned to his father who had been taping the whole affair.

Noboyuki left the camera running on the tripod as he hugged his son.  "I'm so proud of you Tenchi," he sniffed.  "My son, a military man.  What would your mother say?  She always had a thing for uniforms."  Tenchi glanced up at his father's girlfriend, Mai, but she didn't mind Noboyuki talking about his deceased wife.  The purple haired alien ex-cop, now award-winning architect, smiled at him and held out her hand.  Tenchi reached past his father and shook it firmly.

Mihoshi was waiting at the bottom of the shuttle's entry ramp.  She threw herself at Tenchi as he approached.  "Tenchi, I'm going to miss you," the blonde cried.  "Write a lot and come home soon."  

With the sometimes-ungentle help of Ayeka and Ryoko Tenchi managed to pry the GP Lieutenant off of him after a brief struggle.  "Mihoshi!" he said sharply.  "Stop it.  You're going with me, as far as Jurai anyway.  Remember?"

Mihoshi wiped the tears from her eyes with a sleeve.  "I am?  Oh yeah."  She snapped to attention and saluted.  "Officer Kuramitsu Mihoshi reporting for transport duty." She began hopping up and down from leg to leg.  "Oh boy, this is gonna be great, just me an' Tenchi."

Ryoko and Ayeka stood there fuming, tears forgotten.  "That's it," stated the pirate, grabbing Tenchi's arm.  "You're not going with this bubblehead.  I'll take you myself in Ryo-ohki."

Ayeka grabbed his other arm and glared at the GP.  "I agree with Ryoko.  _We_ can take you ourselves.  _In Ay-ohki_."  Ryoko looked at the princess and growled.

Tenchi shook himself loose and hugged both girls close before an argument could start.  "No," he said.  "I'll be fine, don't worry.  Besides, Mihoshi's engaged, remember?  And I'm married to you guys.  You have nothing to worry about."

"That's why we're worried," sniffed Ryoko, before starting to cry again.  Tenchi hugged both his wives tightly.  

He nuzzled both their heads then released them.  "I really have to go.  I'll see you both in a few weeks, take care of the kids."

"We will Tenchi," they said in unison.  Tenchi walked up the short ramp to Yukinojo's cabin.  At the top he turned and waved goodbye to his family.  He wasn't worried either; after all, what could possibly go wrong?

*****

To be continued.

*****

Author's Notes

Well, here we go again.  It's been a bit since I started a new story and this one grew from an idea I'd been toying with for a little while.  I hope you enjoy it.

*****

BobR

9/25/2002


	2. You're in the Army Now

Disclaimer

Tenchi and all associated characters are the property of AIC and Pioneer LDC.  I don't own any rights to them.  Any other characters are property of their respective copyright holders, not me.

*****

Duty Calls

Chapter 2

You're in the Army Now 

*****

Yukinojo pulled slowly up to the docking port on the Juraian immigration satellite.  If one were to be watching him from one of the station's observation ports, one would have said that the ship even appeared angry and cautious.  And one would have been right.  Not that any of the several beings actually watching the GP cruiser actually thought that.  It wasn't well known outside of certain GP and Juraian Government circles that a certain class of patrol cruiser sported a self-aware AI and planet-busting weapons potential.  It would have made more than a few allies a bit nervous.  Especially if they knew whom the pilot was.

The lights in the docking bay went from red to dim white as the pressure equalized on both sides of the airlock.  The door whooshed open and a tall, dark haired Terran emerged closely followed by a tan, blonde GP lieutenant.  The Terran turned and gave the GP a hug and if anyone else had been present they would have seen that the blonde was weeping.

"I'm so sorry Tenchi," Mihoshi cried, tears beginning to stain her rumpled uniform.  "I didn't know that something that pretty would be that dangerous."

"It's ok Mihoshi," Tenchi let her continue to sob on his shoulder.  "That was three days ago anyway.  Besides, how were you supposed to know that the reason that star was glowing with all that color was because it was about to go nova?"

"Because I warned her," came the ship's voice from the airlock.  "I did.  I told her 'Don't go near that accursed star,' I said.  'It's going to blow,' I said.  'That star will be our doom,' I said.  But did she listen?  Oh no.  Pay no attention to that intelligence behind the panel.  And see where it got me?  My beautiful hull is scorched."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," cried the blonde into the wet fabric of Tenchi's tunic.

Tenchi sighed deeply.  "Well, no permanent harm was done.  And it _was_ pretty."

Mihoshi sniffed and looked up at Tenchi's kind face.  "Really?" she asked, managing a weak smile.  The young man nodded and smiled back.

"Wait a minute," came the AI's voice in a hurt tone.  "What about my hull?"

Mihoshi whirled and pointed a finger at the airlock.  "Can it Yukinojo.  Tenchi thought the star was pretty too.  Besides, you'll wash."

"But…"

"I said that's enough," the blonde scolded.

"Yes Mihoshi," the ship replied meekly.

Mihoshi turned back to Tenchi, her eyes still brimming with unshed tears.  "Do you _really_ have to go?" she asked in a plaintive voice.

Tenchi sighed as he explained for the twentieth or whatever time (he'd lost count 'round about the third day out from Earth) that yes, he was obligated to go; and besides, they were already here, weren't they?  It was a bit late for second thoughts.

Mihoshi sniffed again and wiped her nose on her uniform sleeve.  Tenchi wished he'd had a handkerchief to offer the woman but that was one thing he'd neglected to pack.

"But what are Ryoko and Ayeka going to do without you there?" the blonde asked.

Tenchi's mouth twitched as he thought about what they might do without him.  "I'm sure they'll be fine," he answered.  "They'll do what they always do."

"You mean fight?" Mihoshi wondered.

Now Tenchi actually did grin.  "That too I suppose," he said.  "I meant that they'll get by just fine.  Washu and Sasami are still there, so are Dad and Grandpa."

"True," said Mihoshi, tapping her chin with one long finger.  "Do you want me to go with you to report?" she asked.

That was the last thing Tenchi wanted.  He knew the blonde would break down again if she went with him and he didn't want her to make a scene in front of other people.  "No, that's all right," he told her.  "I'm sure I can find my way from here.  Besides, didn't you tell me that you had some old friends stationed here that you wanted to see?"

"Yeah!  I did, didn't I?"  The blonde was suddenly her usual perky self.  "Ok then," she held out her hand for him to take.  "I'll see you later Tenchi, don't forget to write."

Tenchi took the offered hand and drew Mihoshi into another hug.  "I will," he told her.  "Yukinojo, take good care of her," he called out to the ship over the blonde's shoulder.

"Someone has to," the ship grumbled.  "It may as well be me.  Be well Tenchi and come home to us soon."

"Bye Tenchi," called Mihoshi as he hefted his baggage and made his way to the exit.

"Bye Mihoshi, bye Yukinojo," he called back.  "Give everyone my love when you get back home."  He walked through the door and it slid shut silently behind him.  

Tenchi dropped his bag and leaned his forehead against the cool metal of the wall.  God, he was glad that was over; Mihoshi could be a bit _overwhelming_ at times.  He raised his head and realized that he didn't have the foggiest idea of where he was supposed to go from here.  On the floor he saw a flashing arrow pointing off down the corridor.  Shrugging to himself and realizing that one direction's as good as any other when you're lost, he decided to follow it.  It was a good choice as it brought him to the main concourse.  After showing his draft letter to the immigration official and a cursory inspection of his bag by customs, he was on his own again.  The customs lady kindly pointed out a kiosk near the far wall and told him that he should ask there.  He thanked her and started off.

Tenchi walked up to the booth and eyed the man seated behind the counter reading a newspaper.  The man was short, compact and well muscled, with close-cropped graying hair.  Not someone Tenchi really wanted to annoy.  The young man hoped he was in a good mood.

"Uh, excuse me…"  Tenchi looked at the man's rank insignia.  "Uh Sergeant?"  He heard a sigh and the man carefully folded the paper and set it down as if it were something precious.

"Yes son, what can I do for you?" the small man asked, looking Tenchi straight in the eye.

Tenchi swallowed hard and pulled out his official letter. "The woman over at immigration told me to come over and give this to you and you would direct me where to go next."

The man took the paper and read it as carefully as he'd been reading his newspaper.  When he was done he looked up at Tenchi with a humorous glint in his eye.  "Masaki Tenchi, eh?  Let me look you up in the records, but the name sounds awfully familiar."  He keyed Tenchi's name into a holo terminal that suddenly appeared, reminding Tenchi of Washu and making him a bit homesick.  "Masaki, Masaki," the man mumbled, scanning the list of names. "Ah yes, here you are."  He looked up at Tenchi again, a huge grin lighting up his face.  "Congratulations son, you've been assigned to Armor, my old specialty."

"Armor?" exclaimed Tenchi.  "But I thought I was…  I mean my wife told me…  What happened to the Palace Guard?"

The man behind the counter laughed with real humor.  "The Palace Guard?  Boy, you do have high aspirations, don't you?  Only the elite or those with political connections, like relatives of the Royal Family, get assigned there.  Peons like us get to hump our butts in the real army."  The man chuckled again as he saw the expressions flow across Tenchi's face.  "Maybe someday you'll get there boy, if you stick with it and work real hard."

"But my wife…  The Emperor…" Tenchi stuttered.

"Your wife is the Emperor?  Huh.  In that case it would be 'Empress'.  Well, I guess they all are after a fashion, mine certainly is anyway."

Tenchi took a deep breath and collected his thoughts.  He gave the old soldier a weak smile.  "One day she will be.  There must be some mistake, my name is Masaki Tenchi and my wife is Ayeka, First Princess of Jurai.  Don't you watch the news?  Didn't you see us on the vid broadcasts a few years ago?"

The sergeant scratched his chin in thought for a moment.  "News?  I don't get to watch much vid stuff.  I do read a lot though."  He proudly displayed the newspaper, which Tenchi saw was several months old.  "I remember reading something about the Princess marrying.  But tell me boy, if you're a Prince of Jurai, then why isn't anyone here to meet you?  Or better yet, why didn't you just land at the palace?"

Tenchi's ego suddenly deflated.  "I don't know.  The paper told me to enter Jurai through this station so this is where my ride dropped me off."

"Hey boy, cheer up.  Armor's a good assignment.  There's nothing big going on right now; some minor rebellions and border stuff, so it should be a cakewalk.  After all, it's not like you'll have to face the Space Pirate Ryoko barehanded or anything."

Tenchi's eyes twinkled at the respect in the older man's voice when he spoke Ryoko's name.  Little did he know that Tenchi faced the ex-pirate on a daily basis, frequently in a most enjoyable form of hand-to-hand combat.  Tenchi and the man both chuckled, but for entirely different reasons.  "I guess not," Tenchi responded.  "But I still think there's been a mistake.  It's not your fault though so if you'd kindly direct me where to go next?"

"Sure thing boy."  The man pulled out a small piece of paper and stamped it, then handed it and Tenchi's letter back to him.  He pointed to an archway across the concourse.  Your shuttle leaves in about an hour.  Go through there and hand this paper to the woman you'll see in uniform.  She'll take it from there."  He pointed in a different direction.  "I suggest you get something to eat first, it'll be the last time you get any real food for a few weeks.  There's also a small bar over there in case you want something a bit stronger to drink.  Use your brain though, showing up to your training unit drunk is _not_ a good way to impress the cadre."  He winked at Tenchi knowingly.

Tenchi took the papers.  "Uh, thanks," he said, and meant it.

"No problem son.  Come back and look me up when you've got some good stories to tell.  I might just buy you a drink."  The sergeant watched the boy walk away towards the snack bar then shook his head.  "There really is something familiar about that boy…" he muttered to himself.  "I wonder?  Nah, he was just handing me a line."  He shrugged noncommittally then picked up his newspaper and continued reading.

*****

The first few days at the reception area on Jurai was quite a change for Tenchi.  It wasn't so much that he wasn't used to a regimented life; living with his Grandfather for so many years had accustomed him to that, but it was the fact that he now had to share his experiences with so many others.  He was expecting his experience to mirror what he knew was true about most Terran armies, the haircut, the physical training, uniforms; indeed, he'd had his hair cut and been issued a basic uniform consisting of five pairs of trousers, five tunics, six changes of undergarments and a jacket.  All except the undergarments were a neutral shade of gray.  The uniform sort of reminded him of Ayeka's battle armor in appearance although nowhere near as tough.  _And, _ he thought, _it looks a lot better on her than it does on me and on most of these others. _

His first few days consisted of getting up early, doing some calisthenics then learning the fine points of standing still for hours. All of this excitement was interspersed with meals and a bit of frantic activity as they literally ran from one training session to the next.  After what Tenchi thought was about a week Earth time, someone apparently felt that the new batch was ready to move on to their regular training, so Tenchi and about fifteen others that had been grouped together for whatever reasons the military decided to stick them together, boarded a shuttle and departed for the next phase.

The training facility that Tenchi found himself at wasn't on Jurai itself; instead it was on a moon orbiting a gas giant in the Juraian system.  The moon was hot, dusty and pretty much the absolute end of the universe as far as Tenchi and his fellow trainees were concerned.  The only thing that made it bearable was the fact that the training was going to be over someday and they would all move on to a hopefully more pleasant billet.  At first he'd tried to explain about the mistake that had obviously been made, but he'd given up after being informed for the fifteenth time that the military 'did not make mistakes'.

The first couple of weeks in actual training had been rough, lots of marching in the heat and dust, small amounts of minor hazing by the training cadre intended to weed out those not suited to military life, minor things really.  His ability to adapt to new circumstances had impressed his DI and had singled him out for special privileges.  And so he settled back to make the most of what could have been a bad experience.  He wasn't allowed direct contact with anyone outside his training unit, but he did write a lot of letters home.  In them he explained his situation and urged his family not to worry about him.  The replies he got from Ayeka and Ryoko showed that they didn't take that advice too well.  Especially Ryoko; she was all for invading Jurai again just to rescue him, not really understanding that he didn't need rescuing.

That's not to say that everything went smoothly for him, there were a few things that Tenchi had problems with in the beginning, especially in some of the more personal areas.  It seemed that to the Juraian military there was no difference between a male and female soldier and Tenchi wasn't used to the coed facilities provided.  He hadn't really minded sharing his barracks room with females, but sharing a shower was something entirely different.  It took him a short while to realize that the female members of his unit went through exactly the same training as he did and there was nothing at all erotic about a bunch of naked, dirty, sweaty soldiers gathered together to clean themselves.  Those that thought otherwise, male, female or other, were quickly weeded out and never seen again.  And so the days passed and Tenchi fell more and more into the military routine, just as the training was designed to do.

*****

Back on Earth, Ayeka, and especially Ryoko, were not afraid to voice their displeasure to whomever they could corner.  In Ayeka's case it was usually her brother, Yosho.  For Ryoko it was Washu.  Although the old priest and the scientist put their heads together and did the best they could it was to no avail.  Both were told the same thing Tenchi had been told: the military did not make mistakes.  One day Ayeka'd decided she'd had enough, after all, she was the First Princess and Empress-to-be, surely that must count for something.  With Washu looking on and Ryoko fuming in the background, she commandeered Washu's hyperspace communications unit and called daddy.

"I'm sorry Ayeka," the king of Jurai told his eldest daughter.  "We know where he is, we know what he's doing, but even I can't do anything about getting him back where he belongs."

Ayeka stared at her father, eyes wide and brimming with tears, while Washu had a headlock on Ryoko holding her back from attacking the king's holographic image.  Not that the pirate could actually do it any damage, but it was the thought that counted.  "What do you mean 'Even I can't do anything about it'?" Washu called out to the king while forcing a violently struggling Ryoko down to the ground.  "You're the ruler of Jurai for Tsunami's sake.  The commander in chief!"

Azusa shifted his attention from his daughter to the scientist.  "You'd think so, wouldn't you?  I've talked to everyone in his chain of command.  I've even called his Drill Instructor to explain the situation and…  Wait, here's the recording, listen for yourself."  The Emperor leaned off-screen for a moment and flipped a switch.

"Training Division, 17th Juraian," came a rough voice.  "Sergeant Odurona speaking."

The listeners heard Azusa clear his throat in the recording.  "Ahem.  This is Emperor Azusa, I'm calling about one of your trainees."

"Who did you say you were?" the DI asked.

"Azusa, Emperor of Jurai."

They heard a snicker.  "Right.  Who is this, really?  Is that you Elwood?"

"This is the Emperor!" pronounced the Emperor.

"Uh huh.  And I'm Queen Misaki," came a snide remark right back.

"You are not," Azusa tried to explain.  "She's in down the hall in a staff meeting.  Where I should be.  If I wasn't making this idiotic call that is."

"Oh, so I'm an idiot, am I?" asked the other voice.

"I didn't say that," said the Emperor with just the right amount of hurt in his voice.  It made Ayeka wonder if she'd ever be as good at diplomacy as her father.

"Yes, you did," the sergeant replied.

"Did not."  This from Ayeka's father again.

"Did too," the sergeant countered.

"Didn't."

"Did."              

The listeners heard the Emperor cough lightly.  "Well, be that as it may, I'm calling about my son-in-law, Masaki Tenchi.  There's been some sort of mix up at the higher levels."

"And this is unusual how?" Sgt. Odurona asked.   "Remember, you're talking to an idiot."

Azusa harrumphed.  "I never called you an idiot."

"Did too."

"Did no… Wait, let's not start that again, shall we?"  Ayeka's father paused to collect his thoughts.  "Anyway, about Tenchi…"

"Hold it," came the voice on the other end.  "I'll admit the boy's good, one of the best I've ever had here, but trainees are not allowed outside contact until training is finished.  No exceptions."

"I know that," Azusa replied.  "I made the rule."

"Then why are you calling?"

The Emperor let out a huge sigh.  "There's been a mistake.  Tenchi was supposed to be assigned to the palace guard, not to the regular army."

"Sure he was."  The DI's voice was dripping with sarcasm.  "These things happen all the time."

Azusa, never known for his calm demeanor, had finally had enough; he blew up.  "Listen you idiot, I'm the Emperor and I command…" he shouted at the other person.

"There," Sgt. Odurona broke in to the Emperor's tirade with hurt in his voice.  "See, you called me an idiot.  I don't have to sit here and take this from some crank caller.  Goodbye."

They heard the communications channel click off and Azusa's voice calling "Wait, wait!"

The Emperor's image looked out at the three in Washu's lab.  He did a double take when he saw Ryoko gagged and tied to a steel chair.  The chair was bouncing across the floor and Washu was trying to get a chain around it before it got away.  He turned back to his daughter, still standing before the camera, totally oblivious to what was going on behind her.  "I have ten more recordings with ten different people, all very similar to that one."  He buried his head in his hands.  "You people don't know what I have to put up with here.  Insubordinate subordinates, rebellions, border skirmishes, tax codes…"  He raised his head and looked at Ayeka.  "Are you sure you're not ready to take over?  I can arrange it in a matter of hours."

Ayeka's eyes regained their lost focus and she turned at the noise of Washu tackling Ryoko, who had broken free of her bonds and was charging around the lab like a madwoman.  The princess returned he gaze to her father's image.  "No father.  But I do understand.  Thank you for all your effort."

Azusa managed a weak smile.  "I'll keep trying, I haven't given up."  He looked past Ayeka at Ryoko who was glaring up at him from underneath Washu.  "You do know that Ryoko.  I haven't given up trying yet, but I'm not sure what else I can do.  Misaki and Funaho are looking into exactly what happened; as a native of a restricted planet, Tenchi shouldn't have gotten called in the first place.  I may end up sending a unit of Guardians to 'convince' certain people that I mean business."  Ryoko's eyes widened at this and Ayeka emitted a small gasp.  No one messed with the Guardians.  If Azusa was thinking about sending them, then he was serious about wanting to help.  The ex-pirate stopped struggling and Washu let her up.  She reached up and ripped off the piece of duct tape that was covering her mouth.

"Ouch!"  Ryoko glared down at Washu for a moment, remembering another time, several years before.  "Never again," she vowed before returning her attention to the Emperor's ghostly image.  "Your Emperorness, I believe you."

"Then promise me that none of you, yes you too Washu," Azusa looked sternly at the trio.  "None of you will take any precipitous actions until you hear from me.  I need the military _and_ my government, I would like to keep both relatively intact."  He gave each of them one last lingering look then cut the connection.

Ayeka turned to Washu who was helping a grumbling Ryoko shed the last of her restraints.  "Sorry Ryoko, for your sake I had to do it," the scientist was trying to explain to her daughter.

"Miss Washu," Ayeka said, trying to get the red head's attention.

Washu cocked an ear in the princess' direction.  "Eh?  What was that?"

"Er," Ayeka stammered, embarrassed by her gaffe.  "Mother Washu, that is.  Regardless of what father wishes, we can't just sit here while my Tenchi might be in trouble."

"Our Tenchi you mean," Ryoko exclaimed.  "It's too bad we can't send someone to Jurai to keep an eye on him.  Someone he doesn't know since we promised we'd stay here until he called for us."  The pirate rubbed her wrists to help restore the circulation that had been cut off by the handcuffs and wire ties.

Washu eyes took on a strange glint and she looked first at Ayeka then at Ryoko.  Ayeka saw the look and knew that her mother-in-law had a plan.  And she even thought she knew what it was.  The princess looked at Ryoko and genuinely smiled for the first time in days.  Ryoko saw the other two looking at her and her head swung back and forth between her mother and co-wife.  "What?" she asked.  She never saw Washu's machine silently rise up from the floor behind her.

*****

To be continued

*****

Author's Notes

Ah yes, Chapter 2.  I have this strange feeling that this fic is going to be quite long.  Heck, this chapter was well over 15 pages in Word before I decided to split it.  Expect Chapter 3 fairly soon since most of it is what was hacked off of this one.  A few finishing touches and maybe next week sometime, if not sooner.  I want to thank Meekachu (shameless plug) for looking over my rough drafts and responding with some rather pointed questions about how things looked and worked.  I try not to include too much description, preferring to leave the small details to the reader's imagination, but sometimes I forget to put in things that you need to know in order to draw those conclusions.

*****

Review Responses

(Whew, there's quite a few so I'll try to keep them brief.)

Dennisud – Sasami's grown quite a bit but she won't be meeting Trunks here.  I haven't thought about a love interest for her yet, she's still a bit young.  Maybe a crush or two though.

Thundergod – Haven't seen that movie, sorry.  I heard it was good though.

Taxzombie – I never registered.  By the time I was 18 I was already in (they'd stopped actively drafting a year or so before) and I was a veteran at 21 when I got out so I didn't have to.  Yeah, there's some stuff coming up, whether it's good or not remains to be seen.

Smack54 – It's not the Emperor's fault, it's a bureaucratic foul-up.  Although I think Azusa's more worried about Ayeka's feelings and what actions Ryoko or Washu might take than any concerns over Tenchi's situation.

Lizzy Hakubi – Drafted means that the government points it's fat finger at you and says "Come here kiddo, you're in the Army because we say you are."

Vsdefender – Heh.  Quite a bit can go wrong of course.  I actually had a bunch of material about Tenchi and Mihoshi's trip but canned it as unimportant to the main story.  I may resurrect it later for a different fic.

Warp – I always do.

Meekachu – I introduced Mai in lessee… Chapter 2 of _In a Family Way_.  She's loosely based (or will be when and if I develop her background) on the Konoko character in the game _Oni_.  I have a story in mind with her and the cyborg Kiyone as the main characters.  Don't know if I'll ever get it written though.

Rowan Seven – Thank you for the kind words.  I hope to keep everyone amused.

Blackbird – Having actually taken DI classes while I was in the service, I know that a Drill Instructor has to be a counselor just about as often as he/she is a hardass.  Think about a high school counselor that can make you assume the position.  I'm keeping all this in mind for Tenchi's DI, but he doesn't play a major part in the story.

Alighthawk – Yeah, I'm still planning on that Ryoko story.  Don't know when though.  I hate leaving things like that undone.

Wharpt – Am I that transparent?  Funny you should mention Audie Murphy, I managed to visit his grave in Arlington a few years back.  Didn't get a chance to go to Lee's house though and that's what I went for in the first place.  Too many other things to see.

Speed the Turtle – The fewer words the better I guess.  I'm glad you like it.

Ministry Agent – There are no guarantees in life, you should know that.  Except death and taxes that is, but chaos always seems to follow Ryoko and she'll put in a major appearance later.

Rel – I'm glad you're patient because hopefully your patience will be rewarded.  I used to be able to crank out a chapter every couple of days but I've really slowed down lately.  See my reply to Meekachu for info on the Mai character.

Dragonbard – Swords are pretty useless inside a tank but his other abilities might come in handy, we'll have to wait and see.  As for Ayeka and Ryoko, I have an idea for a story revolving around just them.  Once again we'll have to wait, I have lots of ideas and very few of them actually make it into the computer.

Priest – Hey, I don't see you around much anymore.  Maybe it's because I'm writing slower.  Thanks for the comments.

Agent_86 – Yep, the stories are all interrelated and I tend to skip around a lot.  I hope to go back and write about Ryoko's pregnancy sometime in the near future.

*****

BobR

10-23-2002

*****

For those of you that aren't interested in reading a short con review, stop now.  Otherwise…

On Saturday, 10-19-2002 I attended SugoiCon in Erlanger, KY (just over the Ohio river from Cincinnati, OH).  I was only there for that day and that was because the fanfic panel was scheduled for Saturday, an event I really wanted to attend.  The con was great, it was well organized with plenty of room to move around (especially the dealer's room) and no lines for anything (not even the dealer's room).  And it's not because there weren't a lot of attendees; there were plenty.  Some great cosplay costumes too, I got a couple of shots with my digital camera.  I didn't stay for the judging though because it was a long drive back to Louisville where I was staying with relatives. 

I was a tiny bit disappointed in the fanfic panel, no particular reason and it's probably just me but I was expecting a bit more than a discussion on Gundam stuff.  (What is it with all the Gundam stuff now?  I would say that 50 - 60% of the merchandise in the dealer's room was Gundam related.)  It wasn't that I was looking for Tenchi ideas, I just wanted some writing hints and to maybe learn how to improve my work.  The moderators did a pretty good job of trying to keep everything on topic but when you get a bunch of free spirits in a room together I guess prior planning flies out the door.  Maybe if it had lasted more than an hour things would have smoothed out.  Oh well, maybe next year and then there's always the OhayoCon in Columbus in January too.  

The videos in the video rooms were good and well organized, the music video competition was great and the game rooms were always full.  All-in-all I had a good time and am certainly planning on returning next year.


	3. Another Problem Arises

Disclaimer

Tenchi and all associated characters are the property of AIC and Pioneer LDC.  I don't own any rights to them.  Any other characters are property of their respective copyright holders, not me.

*****

Duty Calls

Chapter 3

Another Problem Arises 

*****

The canned bugle music woke Tenchi up at the usual 05:00.  At least he thought of it as a bugle, whatever Juraian instrument actually produced the raucous noise he had no idea.  It still sounded like a bugle to him though.  He rolled out of bed, grabbed a towel and sleepily went to stand in line for a shower.  He sighed with pleasure as he moved into a space vacated by a squad mate and the warm water flowed over him.  The sharp sting of the spray always helped to wake him up.  He'd been used to waking up early at home in order to tend the fields before his shrine duties, but somehow it seemed different here and now.  

He was almost finished rinsing the soap off when he felt two slender arms snake around his neck and a set of breasts press into his back.  A voice whispered in his ear.  "Hey Tenchi, what's on the agenda for today?"  It was Ka'dithy, the female t'Dnal who was his assistant platoon leader.  Because he'd been trained by one of Jurai's greatest warriors, his skills had quickly got him promoted to acting corporal and put in charge of his platoon; Ka'dithy, who'd proved herself the equal of any man in the unit, was made his assistant leader.  

The t'Dnal were a humanoid species from one of Jurai's fully allied worlds; they were human in every respect except a couple of minor details.  All t'Dnal had very small, very bushy, deer-like tails and were entirely covered with a light fur.  The females also had a second pair of smaller, rudimentary breasts beneath the usual set everyone expected of a humanoid.  Ka'dithy and Tenchi, along with a couple of other trainees had become pretty good friends; she knew he was married and faithful to both his wives, she also knew he was from a socially backward planet and the t'Dnal had a twisted sense of humor so she loved to tease and embarrass him.  "C'mon loverboy, give."  She ran her hands through his hair and he turned bright red.  Several nearby soldiers, male and female, chuckled at his discomfiture.  There were a few rumors running through the training company that for all her cuteness, the t'Dnal didn't like men.  Tenchi had gotten to know her rather well over the past few weeks and while he didn't rule out that possibility, he suspected that the rumors were unfounded, brought on by jealousy because of Ka'dithy's looks and the fact that she teased the other girls just as much as the guys.

Tenchi pulled away and turned to look at her.  She really was quite a looker and if it hadn't been for the almost invisible fur covering her body he would never have known she wasn't as human as he was, except for her other, uh, features which were more than obvious to him at the moment.  She stood there grinning at him, hands on her hips.  "I'm not supposed to tell," he said, keeping his eyes locked on her face.  

"Oh, come on Tenchi.  You can tell your old friend Ka'dithy.  We're buddies, aren't we?" she purred as she took a step forward.  He stepped back, bumping into the shower wall.  "What's the big secret?" she asked.

Tenchi looked around and motioned with his head for her to follow him as he moved out of the shower room and started drying himself off.  "It's not actually a secret," he told her as he ran a towel across his hair. "It's more of a surprise.  If you promise not to tell anyone else, I'll tell you what it is."  She nodded eagerly as she finished drying herself and began to get dressed.  "Ok then," Tenchi continued.  "We're going to be introduced to our vehicles today."

Ka'dithy's deep blue eyes grew large.  "Cool!" she said as she finished donning her undergarments and shrugged into her t-shirt.  "And what do you mean by 'introduced'?   Is that Terran for 'given' or 'assigned' or something?"

Tenchi grinned at his friend.  She now had enough clothes on that he didn't have to avoid looking at her.  "No, I meant 'introduced'.  I found out that the vehicles we're going to be assigned to are controlled by self-aware computers.  They each have distinct personalities."

She punched him hard in the shoulder.  "Get real Tench, old boy.  Self aware computers."  She gave a derisive snort.

"Now who's backwards?" he teased.  "I personally know three self-aware machines; Azaka, Kamidake and Yukinojo. And their senses of humor are almost as bad as yours.  Yukinojo likes corny old movies and Azaka and Kamidake like to tease the mailman by pretending they're gateposts."

"Gateposts?" the t'Dnal shook her head.  "What are they, logs or something?"

"Or something," Tenchi agreed.  "They're Ayeka and Sasami's Guardians.  Or rather just Sasami's now that Ayeka's married."

Ka'dithy chuckled.  "Who's Sasami?  I know Ayeka is one of your wives and Ryoko's the other one."

Tenchi finished buttoning up his shirt.  "Sasami's Ayeka's sister.  She lives with us too."

"Sasami and Ayeka eh?  That's quite a coincidence.  The two Juraian princesses have those names too."

Tenchi smiled at her.  "I know," was all he said.

Ka'dithy looked at her watch and started for the door, all thoughts of Tenchi's home life gone in an instant.  "C'mon Tenchi, we're gonna miss breakfast!"  Tenchi scooted out of the room after her and they headed for the mess hall.

*****

"Platoon, halt!" Tenchi called out as his group marched up to the front of an immense building.  "Left, face!  Ok, dress it up.  C'mon get that line straight!"  Sergeant Odurona looked on in approval as Tenchi turned and saluted the officer that was waiting in front of the personnel entrance to the building.  "Sir!" Tenchi said.  "Third platoon is ready for assignment."

"Ahem.  Yes.  Very good Acting Corporal," the lieutenant replied, adjusting the glasses perched on his nose.  It was obvious to everyone present that this 'officer' considered the military nothing more than a necessary nuisance and would rather be in a research lab somewhere doing 'important' work.  The bespectacled officer returned the salute sloppily, causing Sergeant Odurona to grumble something under his breath about toy soldiers.  Tenchi suppressed a smile and hoped that no one but himself had heard the DI.  The officer turned toward the door, which whooshed open when he pressed a button on his cuff.  "Now, if you all will follow me, we'll get started."

The entire platoon was in awe at the interior size of the building.  Even Tenchi, who had been in the indoor park at the Royal Palace, was impressed.  The vehicles were dwarfed by the open space and if the little tiny spots of the technicians swarming over them were any indication, the vehicles weren't very small themselves.  

The platoon gawked as the lieutenant explained about the vehicles.  "Each of these is a veteran, in for depot maintenance and reassignment.    Although entirely capable of independent action, the military has seen fit to require a crewmen aboard each vehicle and you have been selected as their new commanders."  He swept his arm out in a gesture that encompassed the entire facility.  "Please, feel free to wander about and ask questions of any technician or vehicle.  As long as it isn't classified, they'll give you an answer."

One of the trainees raised a tentative hand.  "Ah, sir?  When will we find out which vehicle we're assigned to?" she asked in a quavering voice.

The lieutenant chuckled. "Oh, you're not assigned to a vehicle.  One will choose you."

"What if one doesn't choose us sir?" Tenchi asked.

The officer looked at the DI who just shrugged.  "I don't really know corporal," he replied.  "That's never happened."

"Never?" Tenchi wondered.

"Nope, never.  If you've gotten this far in your training it's a sure thing that you'll find a match out there somewhere.  Notice that there are many more vehicles than there are of you.  Now if you'll excuse me, I have other work to do."  He turned and wandered off before Tenchi could salute.

"Platoon! 'Tenshun!" Sergeant Odurona called.  "All right, now fall out and do as the nice man said.  Not you Tenchi, I want a word with you.  Don't worry son, your vehicle will still be there when we're done."

Tenchi and the DI watched as the platoon spread out over the floor and began the search for their mechanical mates.  When he was satisfied that everyone was out of earshot, Sergeant Odurona turned to his acting corporal.  "Listen Tenchi," he said in a fatherly tone.  "It's not common knowledge but because you guys work so well together the army's planning on keeping you as a unit even after training.  You'll be assigned an officer, hopefully a bit better than that one." He nodded in the direction the lieutenant had disappeared in.  "And a real platoon sergeant, but I think I can convince them to make your rank permanent and give you a squad of your own.  You know, for a boy from a backwater world, you know so much about the Juraian military that I'm beginning to believe you actually _were_ trained by the great Yosho at some point."

"Thanks, I think," mumbled Tenchi.

The sergeant chuckled.  "Ok boy, now go out there and find a good one.  Make me proud."  Tenchi trotted off.

*****

The vehicle stood off by itself in a darkened area of the maintenance floor.  Tenchi had been drawn to it almost from the start and now he stood looking up at the immense bow that towered over him.  The vehicle was at least nine meters from the base of its four sets of tracks to the top of its turret.  Its main gun was stowed in travel lock and unlike most of the others there were no technicians in evidence.  "Excuse me," Tenchi felt slightly silly talking to a mountain of metal and hardened ceramics.  "Are you functional."

"Yes, I am," came the reply in a surprisingly deep but mild voice.  "I am currently operating at 97.986 percent efficiency, well above nominal combat requirements."

"I see," Tenchi said, although he really didn't.  "Why are you by yourself in the dark?"

Tenchi thought he heard a note of sarcasm in the response.  "Are you blind or just poorly trained?  Notice the extra antennas on my turret; I am a command vehicle and require two crewmembers.  My commander is always an officer or senior non-com so I am not available for assignment with your group."

"I understand."  Tenchi patted the great machine's armored bow and started to turn away in disappointment.  Unnoticed, the place he'd touched began to glow slightly.

"Input accepted," the machine intoned mechanically.

Tenchi turned back and saw a part of the metal seeming to glow from within.  He tentatively reached out but felt no heat.  Almost of it's own accord his hand touched the cool glowing metal.

"Accessing Juraian Military records," came the machine's voice.  "Fingerprint match found.  Subject identified as Acting Corporal Masaki Tenchi, Third Platoon, Seventeenth Training Company.  Command authorization declined."  Tenchi thought he could hear a hint of disappointment in the words, he almost pulled his hand away but something made him keep it pressed against the vehicle's front slope. 

"Accessing Juraian Government records.  DNA match found.  Subject identified as His Royal Highness, Prince Masaki Tenchi; husband of First Princess Ayeka, heir to the throne."  A note of exaltation seemed to have crept into the machine's voice now.  "Command authorization granted.  Command codes transferred.  Welcome Corporal Masaki.  Combat Unit GRG ready for instructions."  A hatch popped open in the turret and a ladder extruded itself from the hull.  "Please, commander, come aboard."

Tenchi reached out to grasp a rung as shout rang out behind him.  "Hey you!  What do you think you're doing?"  A technician ran up, gasping for breath.  "Not this one, this is a command vehicle.  You have to have command authorization and a security clearance almost as high as Tsunami's it seems to get this one.  Besides, it's personality matrix is a bit… off."

"Really?  I haven't insulted _you_, now have I?  And you're a bit late to be protesting, aren't you?" the machine said.  "Command has been accepted and transferred.  Corporal Masaki is my new commander."  The AI then let loose with what sounded remarkably like a Bronx Cheer to Tenchi.

"But…  But that's impossible," the tech stuttered, eyes widening in disbelief.  "A corporal, _an acting corporal_, can't take charge of a command vehicle!  You need clearance directly from Armor Command, the Palace or the Holy Council for that type of transfer."

Tenchi raised an eyebrow and looked up at the open hatch.  Other techs and a few members of his platoon were beginning to gather around and had heard the whole exchange so far.

"Nonetheless, fathead," the vehicle stated matter-of-factly.  "Acting Corporal Masaki's command transfer has been approved at the highest level.  So nyah!"

Sergeant Odurona pushed his way through the crowd.  "Just what is going on here?  Corporal?"  His eyes bored into Tenchi's.

"Ah, sergeant…" Tenchi began, smiling and scratching the back of his head wondering if this strange acting machine was going to insult his DI as well.

"Maskai Tenchi has been approved as my new commander, that's what," the vehicle stated before Tenchi could finish what he was about to say.

"I don't believe it!" exclaimed the startled DI.  "How could that be?"

"I'll try to explain," Tenchi said quietly.  "But not here, not in front of everyone."

"In the fighting compartment then," the Sergeant indicated the still open hatch.  "After you, trainee."

Tenchi climbed the ladder, closely followed by the DI.  He didn't see the odd looks that Ka'dithy and a couple of his other friends gave him as he disappeared inside the hatch.

*****

After the vehicle's AI confirmed Tenchi's story, Sergeant Odurona sat back in the comm operator's contour seat, stunned. "You mean you really are…?  That Yosho is actually…?"  He closed his eyes in confusion then they suddenly snapped open again.  "Then that really was the Emperor I talked to the other day!  I hung up on him; I thought it was a prank.  Oh Tsunami forgive me!  What have I done?"

Tenchi was a bit upset at the DI's obvious contrition.  "Hey Sarge, it's no big deal.  Besides, I'm beginning to like it here, although I really miss Ayeka, Ryoko and the kids."  Tenchi managed a weak smile as a thought crossed his mind.  "And if you really want Tsunami's forgiveness I think I can arrange it.  After training is complete of course."

The DI looked at the boy who had suddenly been transformed into something besides a raw trainee in his mind.  "You know, I believe you could.  You defeated Kagato and married Princess Ayeka and the dread Pirate Ryoko so you can probably do much more than you let on.."

Tenchi shook the older man's shoulder.  "Snap out of it Sarge.  I'm exactly the same person I was ten minutes ago, nothing's changed."

Sergeant Odurona buried his face in his hands.  "Wadda ya mean nothing's changed?  Everything's changed!  You obviously aren't supposed to be here; someone, somewhere really screwed up and _I'll_ probably get blamed.  And I hung up on the Emperor himself," the man sobbed.

Tenchi shook him again, lightly.  "I meant, 'nothing's changed'.  You, I and Unit GRG here are the only ones who know; no one else believes me even though I've tried to tell them."  Tenchi looked up at the tiny lens that allowed the computer to monitor events in the fighting compartment.  "Right, Unit GRG?"

"If you say so Corporal.  I really have no knowledge of that," the machine replied nonchalantly.

Something suddenly occurred to Tenchi.  "What does GRG stand for?" he asked.

"GRG is my rating," the AI said diffidently.  "The first letter denotes my weapons capability, the second my armor type and the third specifies my fusion plant output rating.  I am a planetary defense unit fully capable of engaging starships in orbit from a ground position.  I can survive a direct hit by a nuclear weapon and am able to operate in space as a defensive fortress if a suitable lift vehicle is available."

"Oh, ok."  Tenchi was surprised that he understood what the machine had said; a few short years ago he would have been totally clueless.  "Calling you Unit GRG all the time is awkward, how about I call you 'George' instead?"

"George," the AI tasted the name in its memory, rolling it over and trying to get a feel for it.  "George.  That is acceptable, _Tenchi_.  I am henceforth to be known as George."

"Oh that's just great, it has a name now.  Wonderful.  And how do we explain this?" Sergeant Odurona swept his arm around the compartment.  "A corporal _can't_ command this vehicle."

Tenchi thought for a moment.  "An accident?  We could say it was a programming error," he suggested.  He'd noticed some oddities in the AI's programming already so making up another wouldn't be a big deal.  He wanted to ask the vehicle who the original programmer was but he had a feeling he wouldn't like the answer.

"No," said the DI.  "The vehicle AI is incapable of lying so it would have to tell the truth if questioned directly."

"Oh great," Tenchi shook his head in despair.  "Then what'll happen?  Will they make me switch to another vehicle?"  

George responded to Tenchi's question before the DI could open his mouth.  "There is really nothing they can do.  All the proper clearances have been granted and command has been authorized, so there's no reason to worry."  There was a brief pause.  "Of course they could always have you killed," the machine went on in a lighter tone.  "Accidents do happen, not that _I_ would know anything about that."

The sergeant's mouth twitched into a smile for the first time since they'd entered the compartment.  "Unit GR… er, _George_ is right.  There's pretty much nothing they can do unless you voluntarily give up command.  They certainly wouldn't expect a trainee that was just given a command to give it up unless they were shown as unfit.  And in your case that would be difficult, extremely difficult once it became known who you are."

Tenchi stood up and tried to pace but the compartment was too small.  "So what do we do?"

"Nothing," said the DI with a shrug.  "As you said before, nothing's changed, the Army'll just have to deal with it."  He looked around the small area, taking note of the extra equipment. "That leaves us with just one problem," he said.

"What's that?" inquired Tenchi.

The sergeant chuckled mirthlessly.  "Finding you a qualified second crewman. 'George' here requires two people to operate."

"That is not entirely correct Sergeant," the vehicle in question broke in.  "I am fully capable of independently functioning.  I _require_ no crew at all, as you should well know."

Sergeant Odurona addressed the AI directly for the first time.  "According to the unit's Organization Chart you do.  You now have a trainee as a commander even if he is a prince in disguise; let's not push our luck."

"Ah crap, I guess you're right."  Tenchi could almost hear the resignation in the machine's voice. "Doesn't mean I have to like it though," George grumbled.

*****

Ka'dithy and one of Tenchi's other squad mates, Lirat, a young man whose sole claim to fame was that he was excessively homely, cornered Tenchi as he dropped off the bottom rung of George's access ladder later that day.

"Hey, aren't you two supposed to be with your own vehicles?" Tenchi asked his two friends.

"Well…" Lirat began, his more than prominent ears turning bright red.

"What he means is 'Yes, we are'," Ka'dithy broke in.  "But we really want to know what went on earlier.  How did you wind up with a command vehicle?"

Tenchi considered telling them the truth; after all, no one else'd believed him when he'd told them.  He considered for all of two seconds that is.  "Um, I'm not exactly sure.  It seems there was some sort of screw up at a higher level."  Not entirely untrue, he reasoned.  "But there's nothing they can do about it now anyway, so I guess I'm stuck with George."

"George?" asked Lirat.  "Who's George?"

"Unit GRG here," said Tenchi, patting the ceramic armor covering the top of the vehicle's road wheels.  "GRG – George.  Get it?"

"You named your vehicle?" Ka'dithy started chuckling.  "How very… Terran of you.  Now we'll all be naming them, you've started a trend.  Mine's Unit NMB so that would make him Nimby I guess."

Lirat shook his head.  "Easy for you, mine's Unit WHT.  How do you make a name from _that_?"

"What," said Tenchi.

"I said, 'how do you make a name out of WHT?" Lirat repeated.

"No, What's it's name," Tenchi had a sly grin on his face.

"Who's name?" asked the other young man, a confused look painting his face.

_Here we go, _ thought Tenchi.  _This should be fun. _  "Not Who, What," he told Lirat while working very hard to keep a straight face.

"What?" the ugly man asked.

"Yes," grinned Tenchi.

"Yes what?" Lirat knew Tenchi was teasing him and was growing annoyed.

"Right, your vehicle's name can be What," smirked a now thoroughly amused Tenchi. 

"I don't know!" Lirat almost shouted.

_Third base, _ Tenchi thought, suppressing a laugh.  Ka'dithy just stood there looking bemused.  "Look, you want to give your vehicle a name, right?" Tenchi asked.  Lirat nodded.  "And its designation is WHT, right?"  Another nod.  "So a good name is What."

"That's what I'm asking," bellowed the other young soldier.

Tenchi snorted.  "And I'm telling you, What!"

"What?" repeated a confused Lirat.

"Exactly.  See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" said Tenchi, slapping Lirat on the back.

The ugly young Juraian looked plaintively at the t'Dnal.  Ka'dithy just shrugged, she had no idea what Tenchi was talking about either but at least it wasn't her on the receiving end.  Tenchi's sense of humor would do one of her people proud, she thought.  Lirat grumbled something under his breath and stalked away, heading back to his own vehicle.  Ka'dithy sidled up to Tenchi as she watched the boy move off.  "What was that all about?" she asked out of the side of her mouth.

Tenchi grinned.  "A play on an old Earth comedy routine, it's still funny after all these years; someday I'll get a recording of it and play it for you.  'Course I'll have to explain baseball to you first."

"Baseball?" the girl asked.

"It's a game where someone throws a small ball and someone else tries to hit it with a club.  If you do hit it you run around a diamond marked out in the field.  It's a bit more complicated than just that though."

Ka'dithy raised an eyebrow at him.  "You Terrans are weird, you know that?"  She wandered off in the direction of her own vehicle.

"Neatly avoided Tenchi, I enjoyed every minute of that." George said through his external speaker.

"What?  Oh, thanks, I think," said Tenchi as he watched as the t'Dnal climbed back into her own vehicle.  "Any idea when they'll assign us a comm specialist?" he wondered aloud.

"No, but it shouldn't take those idiots at Central Assignments too long," came the vehicle's reply.

"That's nice," said Tenchi, not really paying attention because his mind was off on other matters.  He looked up at George.  "Button up, will you.  It's getting late and I'm tired."

"Yes my commander," George snapped with a mock military precision.  The hatch closed and the ladder retracted into the vehicle's armored side.  "Have a good evening, Tenchi."

Tenchi patted George's armored side again.  "Thanks, I think I will."  The young man walked off toward the exit, still chuckling at his platoon mates' discomfiture.

*****

To be continued

*****

Author's Notes

For those of you that don't know, "Who's on First" is an Abbot and Costello routine from the '40s.  If you really want to read a complete Tenchized version read, "Who's on First, Tenchi" by Alighthawk; it's quite well done and don't forget to leave him a review.

Next Chapter:  Tenchi meets his other crewmember and gets an assignment.  He also visits Ayeka and the kids on Jurai en route.  But where's Ryoko?

*****

Review Responses

Dennisud – Not all DI's are that way.  The idea is to break the trainee down (without breaking the trainee) and build them back up into a soldier.  Each DI has his/her own method for doing that within military specs. Don't get the wrong idea; I did a lot of pushups myself and spent my fair share of time in the 'front leaning rest' position.  But only if I (or the entire platoon) really screwed up.  My Basic and AIT (at Fort Knox) were actually fairly easy.  At least I thought so.

Taxzombie – Yep, no mistakes – ever.  I signed up to be a meteorologist (it sounded interesting) with MP as my second choice.  Where did I end up for training?  Armor; in the M60A1 MBT. What was my eventual assignment?  Cavalry.  (No, we didn't use horses; at the time we used the M551A1 Sheridan ARAAV and the M113A1 APC then eventually the M60A1E3 MBT.  Does that date me or what?)  Where did they send me?  I actually got my second choice there, Germany.  

Alighthawk – Who do you think will save the day?  I apologize for stealing your thunder with my simplified and adapted version of 'Who's on First?'  I did give you a plug though.

Smack54 – Oh, it's gonna get worse.  Much worse.  He's now got a tank that's literally a 'loose cannon'.

Agent_86 – Yeah, I put in a few years a while back.  I'm still going to write about Ryoko's pregnancy at some point.

Priest – Glad to hear you're working.  Now get your own connection set up, chop-chop.

Wharpt – Yup, poor Yukinojo.  Always getting the short end of the stick.

Thundergod – I didn't know it was lost…  Glad you enjoyed it.

Note for you non-military types:  ARAAV stands for Armored Reconnaissance Airborne Assault Vehicle; APC is Armored Personnel Carrier and MBT is Main Battle Tank.  The number/letter sequences are model and variation, i.e. M60A1E3 is M60 tank, A1 modification, E3 variation.  There was also an M60A2 that wasn't very successful (it had the same main armament as the Sheridan, but not the speed or mobility) and eventually an M60A3, which I believe some Marine units still use.

*****

BobR

11/3/2002


	4. Training Draws to a Close

Disclaimer

Tenchi and all associated characters are the property of AIC and Pioneer LDC.  I don't own any rights to them.  Any other characters are property of their respective copyright holders, not me.

*****

Duty Calls

Chapter 3

Training Draws to a Close 

*****

Ayeka watched on the viewscreen in her cabin as the Jurian treeship, Hur-aj, slid smoothly into orbit above planet Jurai.  She sighed with regret at leaving Sasami back on Earth, and not for the first time on this voyage she wondered where Ryoko was and how she was doing on her mission.  Although she understood that some of Ryoko's abilities uniquely qualified her for the assignment, the princess still wished that Washu had chosen her to go while Ryoko stayed home with the kids.  Next time, she vowed to herself, she would be the one to go.  Ayeka hadn't used her powers to any great extent for several years, having been warned by both Washu and Tsunami that her demonic tendencies would become more and more obvious with continued use, but lately she'd been practicing in private and felt that she had everything under control.

A loud noise followed by a screech drew her attention away from the screen and the princess turned to see Keiko literally flying into the room, tears running down her tiny face.  "Mommy Ayeka," the little girl wailed.  "Juro pulled my hair!"

"Did not," came a shout from beyond the door.  "Besides, she kicked me first!"

"That was after he pinched me," sniffed Ryoko's daughter, glomping on to Ayeka's left leg.

The young man in question sauntered through the door, a smug look on his face and Ay-ohki perched atop his head in cabbit form.  "She started it," he told his mother.  "Ay-ohki was playing with me and she teased him away with a carrot."

Ayeka sighed and unsuccessfully tried to detach Keiko from her lower extremities.  "The last time I checked," she told her son, "he was playing quietly with both of you.  What happened?"

Juro looked down at his toes.  "I wanted him to play with just me.  _She_ always gets to play with him or Ryo-ohki."  He ran over and grabbed his mother's free leg, glaring at his half-sister who stuck out her tongue at him.  The white cabbit hopped from the boy's head up onto his master's shoulder and Ayeka rubbed her cheek against her friend's forehead.  She knew how much he missed his mate; she felt the same way about Tenchi and Ryoko.

"Well, well," came Washu's voice from the doorway.  "I can't leave you two alone for a minute before you start in on each other.  Kinda reminds me of how two other people I know used to be.  It was hopeless trying to keep them from each other's throats too."

Ayeka raised her head and smiled at the diminutive scientist.  "Indeed.  Perhaps if you looked more like an adult people would pay more attention to you."

"Maybe," Washu replied, grinning back.  "But don't let the size fool you.  Besides, I happen to like staying this size, especially when I'm around the kids.  Less threatening you know."

Ayeka felt a tug on her robe.  She looked down at Juro trying to get her attention.  "What is it dear?" she asked.

"Are we there yet?" came the response.  Keiko nodded her head in agreement with her brother.

Ayeka sighed again and turned her attention back to the screen where the planetary shuttles were now lining up to take them and their belongings down to the surface.

*****

"Corporal!" Sergeant Odurona called up the ladder to George's open hatch.  "There's someone here to see you!"

Tenchi jerked up from where he'd been buried shoulder deep in one of the vehicle's maintenance panels.  The back of his head contacted the open panel with a muted 'clang'; there was a crackle and the sharp smell of ozone as something shorted out.  "Ouch," he said under his breath.  "Now what?"

"I believe it's time for us to meet our newest crewmember," the vehicle told him.  "Oh joy."

"This time I agree with you," Tenchi said, feeling the back of his head for blood, bumps or singed hair.  He seemed to be undamaged, for now anyway.  "Give me a visual," he told the AI.

"Can't" said George.  "In your own unique way, your last encounter with my circuitry seems to have damaged the connection to the external imaging array on that side.  You'll either have to fix it or get your ass out there in person."

Tenchi sighed and stood up; brushing off his knees and his bottom he made his way to the hatch.  Looking out, he saw the DI and another person standing at the base of the access ladder.  "Be right there," he called and started down the ladder.

Reaching the bottom he turned and assumed a position of parade rest.  "Yes, Sergeant," he said.  "You wished to speak to me?"

Sergeant Odurona harrumphed and wiped his nose with a handkerchief pulled from his pocket.  "Yes Masaki, there's a couple of things I need to talk to you about.  The first is that your rank is no longer acting.  For some reason," he gave Tenchi a sly wink, "the request to make your rank permanent has been approved.  And…" he motioned behind him, "they've finally gotten around to assigning you your specialist.  Goddess knows why it took them so long, you only have a few days left before you get your orders and ship out; but still, here she is.  And according to her records, Specialist Merlaj is one of the top people for her rank."

A tall, dark skinned woman stepped up and held out her hand.  Tenchi took it, not letting his emotions show.  _Why me, _ he thought.  _Why is it always a cute female?  First Ryoko, Ayeka and Mihoshi, then Ka'dithy and now this.  Why can't my close friends and associates ever be male, or at least neutral? _  He looked the woman over.  She was well built, not quite as dark as Mihoshi and almost as tall as he was, her black hair cut short in a military style.  Her ears were almost flat against her head and came to delicate points.  She reminded him of a Vulcan from that old American TV series.  Then she smiled at him, showing a set of delicate fangs.  _Or maybe not, _ he thought as his gaze moved from her pointy teeth to her dark purple eyes.  _Definitely not. _

"Pleased to meet you Corporal," Specialist Merlaj said in a husky voice.  "Sergeant Odurona has told me so much about you on the walk over here."

"Er, um, not quite everything," the sergeant said turning away.  "I'll leave you three to get acquainted."  He patted George's armored side.  "Good luck."

Merlaj dropped Tenchi's hand and started to walk around the huge vehicle.  She looked at the two sets of tracks and at the various weapons ports that were always kept closed while in the depot.  Her gaze wandered up to the vehicle's main gun, a 20cm plasma cannon capable of taking out a starship in orbit with a bolt of frozen metallic hydrogen accelerated to .8C by an electromagnetic field.  "Quite a machine you've got here Tenchi," she said as the outside tour stopped back at the boarding ladder.  "Is it true that you've given it a name?"

"Him," Tenchi said.  "And yes."  He walked over to George's armored side and tapped it.  "George, this is Specialist Merlaj.  She's going to be our comm operator."

The glowing circle appeared on the armor.  "Place you hand palm down in the circle Specialist, so I can authorize you."  The woman grinned and placed her hand in the glow.  "Accessing Juraian Military records.  Identity verified, comm specialist Merlaj.  No other name given."  Merlaj started to lift her hand.  "Wait," said George.  "Accessing Juraian Government records…"  Merlaj frowned; she couldn't let _that_ happen.  Unnoticed by Tenchi an orange glow leaked out from under the hand against George's armor.  "What?" started the AI.  "Oh, I understand, never mind then.  Welcome Specialist Merlaj.  Tenchi, could you bring her up to the command compartment?  Maybe she can fix some of the damage you caused earlier."

"Uh, sure," said Tenchi, scratching the back of his head.  He gestured toward the ladder.  Merlaj gave a shallow bow and started up, followed a moment later by Tenchi.  _How odd, _ he thought to himself.  _George was awfully meek there at the end.  And how did she know my name?  I've never told her and I don't remember Sergeant Odurona mentioning it either.  Oh well, maybe he told her on the way over. _ Tenchi gave a mental shrug and continued up the ladder to the hatch that Merlaj had disappeared through a moment before.  Unseen by anyone, a small area of George's armor gave off a few more almost invisible wisps of smoke before it cooled.

*****

Tenchi awoke to find a pair of eyes glowing at him in the darkness.  "Ryoko," he groaned before remembering that his wife was light years and at least a week's travel time away.  "Lights!" he called.  Ka'dithy was sitting backwards in the room's only chair, wearing nothing but a thin t-shirt and panties.  Tenchi sat up and wrapped his sheet around himself.  "Gods, Ka'dithy, you scared me!" he said to his friend.  "Why are you in here this late?  Or maybe I don't want to know.  Go back to bed."

"Can't Tenchi," the t'Dnal said with a shake of her cute head.  "Not until I get something straight in my mind."

"What is it," asked Tenchi, flopping back on the bed in relief.  He should have realized that if Ka'dithy was going to come on to him for real instead of always teasing him she would have done it before now.

Ka'dithy frowned, not sure exactly where to start.  "Tenchi, you know I'm not human or Juraian; at least not in the same sense that you are."

"You're an attractive woman Ka'dithy, if that's what's bothering you."  Tenchi rolled over and looked at her appraisingly.  "Very attractive.  But I'm married and _you_ know that."

The t'Dnal gave him a wry smile.  "Thanks for the compliment, I think.  But that's not what I meant.  Or rather it _is_ what I meant, just not that way.  See Tenchi, because my species is different, I don't see you as a potential mate.  Hopefully you don't see me that way either."

Tenchi smiled, this was amusing and informative but he wasn't sure where she was going with it and he wanted to get back to sleep.  Besides, dressed as she was in the skimpy underwear, she _was_ really attractive at the moment; there was something… if not erotic then certainly exotic in the way she was sitting in the chair.  And after all, he was a normal human male, and still half asleep to boot.  "I don't," he replied after a moment's hesitation to get his thoughts back where they belonged.  "But not for that reason.  My Ryoko isn't quite human either; she's a biological android, a construct."

Ka'dithy's eyes widened.  "Really?  I didn't know that.  How… unusual for a Terran.  But my point is that your new crewmember _is_ human in your sense of the word."

_Ah, _ thought Tenchi.  _So that's it. _  He sat back up in bed.  "Listen," he said mildly.  "No need to worry on my account, if you ever meet either of my wives you'll understand why.  There's no one in my life but them so don't let it bother you."

"Then you won't mind if I keep my eye on her, just in case?" Ka'dithy asked.

_Maybe those rumors about her_ are _true, _ Tenchi reflected.  "Be my guest," he said expansively.  "Give it your best shot."

Ka'dithy blushed at the hidden meaning in his words and given the way she was dressed at the moment, Tenchi could see that the blush covered her whole fuzzy body.  "No no," she exclaimed.  "It's not like that!  Not at all.  It's you I'm worried about."

"Then don't be," he told her again.  "Now go back to bed."  He rolled over until his back was towards her.  He heard the chair scrape the floor as she stood up.

"Thanks Tenchi, thanks for talking to me," she said.  "I think I'll be able to sleep now."

Tenchi rolled around until he was facing her again.  "You're welcome," he said.  He looked at her two pairs of breasts pressing against the material of her shirt.  "Just next time put on more clothes, ok?"

Ka'dithy giggled.  "Why Tenchi, I didn't know you'd noticed."  She turned and wiggled her bottom at him, her small, bushy tail plainly visible through the thin fabric of her underwear.

Tenchi sighed in resignation; she'd never change.  Of course he'd thought the same about Ryoko once too.  "Good night Ka'dithy," he said firmly.

"'Night Tenchi," she replied as the door closed behind her.

"Lights off," mumbled Tenchi.  "Image that; Ka'dithy, defender of virtue."  He chuckled drowsily and was back asleep in minutes.  The next morning he didn't even remember the incident and spent a good part of the day wondering why Ka'dithy kept giving hostile looks to Merlaj whenever their paths crossed.

*****

Washu stalked around the suite assigned to the family, poking her nose into cupboards and closets, making comments about things and generally annoying her daughter-in-law to distraction.  The two children thought it was fun though to follow Grandma around and insert their own opinions about the quality of the accommodations.  At the end of the tour Washu pronounced the suite habitable, much to the chagrin of Keiko and Juro who were expecting Grandma to insist on other quarters.

Now that everyone was finally satisfied with the rooms, Ayeka shooed the servants out and collapsed onto a chair in the front room.  "Oh my," she said in an exhausted tone, "I hope mother and father don't have anything major planned for tonight.  I don't think the children can handle much more excitement today."  She reached out and nabbed her son as he ran by, headed nowhere in particular at a very rapid clip.

"It's not the kids I'm worried about," huffed Washu as little Keiko zoomed by overhead.  "It's us."  Her hand darted up and snatched the girl's leg causing the child to screech at the sudden interruption forward motion.  "I've said it before, like mother, like daughter.  I just wish she'd waited a few more years before she learned to fly.  At least she can't teleport yet."  The little girl disappeared with a loud pop of displaced air and reappeared several feet away with a smug look on her face.  "Damn," muttered Washu.

"I wonder when I'll get to see Tenchi?" Ayeka wondered as she pulled Juro into the chair with her.  "I'll bet he looks so handsome in his uniform."  She sighed as her imagination took hold and Juro tried to wiggle out of her grip.

Washu materialized her holo terminal while keeping a wary eye on Keiko.  The little girl seemed to have exhausted herself teleporting, but Washu knew that with children appearances could be deceiving.  She quickly hacked into the Juraian military net and queried the database for any orders pertaining to Tenchi.  "Give it a week Ayeka," she told the princess after perusing the screen.  "He's due to get his orders in a day or so then he gets a week leave before having to move on to his duty station.  Doesn't say where that is though, the security clearance I'm using isn't high enough to read it."

The princess smiled.  "A whole week with Tenchi and no Ryoko around to spoil it.  Ahhh."

Washu chuckled at Ayeka's comment.  "Now, now princess.  I thought you were enjoying Ryoko's company while Tenchi's been gone."

Ayeka's head came up and her smile widened.  "But I enjoy Tenchi's company more.  Don't tell Ryoko though, ok?"

Ryoko's mother turned her attention back to the computer.  "I'm sure she feels exactly the same way," she said wryly.  "Now, let's see if I can find out what my erstwhile daughter's been up to since we sent her off."  She keyed in another query.  "Hmmm, now this is interesting…"

*****

Tenchi walked off the shuttle and looked around for his family.  He didn't see them anywhere in the concourse, which surprised him. What surprised him even more was when a pair of Royal Guards stepped up to him and politely asked him to accompany them.  At first he considered resisting, but he saw the looks the other disembarking passengers were giving him so he meekly followed them to a small room off the main passage.

As the door closed behind him he asked the smaller of the two what this was all about.  The larger one answered him with a stony face.  "Corporal Masaki, the boss would like to talk to you before you leave, please wait here."  With that cryptic remark the two left him alone in the room; he heard the door lock click when they went out.

_Boss? _he wondered as he took a seat in a hard metal chair, his duffel bag on the floor next to him.  _The only boss of the Royal Guard that I know is… _

"Tennnchiiii!" shouted Misaki as she bounded through the suddenly unlocked door.  He stood up just in time to be snatched into one of her infamous hugs.  "Oh you look so healthy.  Military life must agree with you."  She squeezed him tighter.

"Mmmssskkkee!  Cccnnnt bbrrrtthh," he squeaked out as she forced the air from his lungs.

"What's that dear boy?" his mother-in-law asked.

"Cccann't  Bbbbreatthhe," he gasped again.

"Can't breathe?  Oh, sorry."  She let him go and he dropped back into the chair, the bluish tint fading from his face as his lungs sucked in the wonderful, sweet air.

"Not that I don't enjoy seeing you Misaki, but why are you here and not Ayeka and Ryoko?" Tenchi asked as he rolled his shoulders trying to pop them back into their sockets.

Misaki chuckled gleefully.  "I pulled rank.  It's been years since I've seen you; the others can wait a few more minutes.  I told them you were tied up in Customs."

"Customs?" Tenchi said.  "But it was a local shuttle, there is no Customs inspection for local flights."

The queen grinned.  "_I_ know that, _you_ know that, but they…"  She was interrupted by the door flying open and a very angry princess stalking into the room.  Tenchi jumped up again.

"Mother," Ayeka hissed.  "How dare you…"  She suddenly spotted Tenchi and came to an abrupt halt, her anger at Misaki all but forgotten.  "Oh. … Tennnchiii!"  He was glomped onto again, but not as tightly as before.

"Hello Ayeka, I missed you," he told his wife as he bent down to kiss her.  She returned the kiss with a passion that belied her royal demeanor.

"I missed you too," she said when they both finally came up for air.  Her eyes were sparkling with joy.

"Where are Ryoko and the kids?" he asked, looking at the door.  Two small blurs came charging through and each grabbed a leg.  "Daddy!" they both cried out.  He gathered them up in his arms and squeezed; the kids squealed with joy.  He looked back at the door in anticipation only to find Washu leaning idly against the doorframe, the two cabbits Ay-ohki and Mis-ohki perched her shoulders.

"Hi Tenchi," Washu said with a casual wave.  "She's not here."  Tenchi's expression drooped and Washu chuckled.  "Get that hurt puppy look off your face, she's fine.  I sent her on an important mission a couple weeks ago and she's not back yet.  She sends all her love though."

Ayeka nodded agreement while cuddled against her husband.  "Yes dear," the princess said with a wicked grin.  "And she told me to tell you that I'm to get her share of your attention as well while she's not here."

_I'll just bet she did, _ was what ran through his mind.  What actually escaped his mouth as he rolled his eyes toward the ceiling was "God help me!"  To which Washu and Misaki both smiled evilly.

*****

To be continued

*****

Author's Notes.

For those of you that don't remember or maybe haven't read my previous stories, Misaki and Funaho have cabbits now too, due to Misaki's eternal quest for cuteness; she semi-accidentally released them from cold-sleep at the end of "Jurai, Here We Come".

Due to several requests, after the review responses I have attached my ideas on Ka'dithy and the t'Dnal in general.  Ka'dithy started out as a minor character, someone for Tenchi to interact with during training since his wives weren't there.  She became a bit more than that though and I've fleshed out (so to speak) some background on her and her people.  If any other authors want to use the t'Dnal in their stories, be my guest.  It doesn't have to tie into my stories or even Tenchi for that matter; in my opinion, the characters are too good to waste.  All I ask is that you let me know so I can read your work.

I know that my description of Ka'dithy contradicts some of her words and actions, but bear with me on this and all will become clear (hopefully) at the end if not before.

*****

Review Responses

Dennisud – It doesn't transform and I pulled the reference for George from a series of books.  You're probably right as to who the programmer is but you'll have to wait and see about the second crewman.

Knight's Shadow – Thanks for the compliment.  I'm going to try to work faster on these but no promises.

Smack54 – I'll let you in on a secret, you're not wrong.  Then again, maybe you are.  You'll have to wait like the rest and see.

Jon Cook – If I told you that GRG had treads, Durachrome armor and a Hellbore would it mean anything to you?  How about Infinite Repeaters?  He has all this but I hesitate to call him a Bolo because the General Motors Bolo Division didn't build him.

Wharpt – Keep it up, you're batting 1.000 here.  I ought to let you write this since you seem to know what's going to happen before I do.  I think I still have a few surprises up my sleeve though.

Blackbird – 7-90?  Isn't that the talking robot head from the Lexx?  If so, the reference is purely unintentional.  Next thing you know Ka'dithy will be half cluster lizard and I'll have a walking dead guy hanging around.

Alighthawk – No, he doesn't actually need any saving, but the others have a tendency to over-exaggerate any problems they think he might encounter.  Didn't you know?  Embellishing stories is an old military tradition.

Lizzy Hakubi – Naming your vehicle is not uncommon in the military, especially for the larger ones like aircraft and tanks.  It's all unofficial though.

I3itterSweet – (Surprised I spelled it that way?)  You don't need to know much about the military and I'm not really trying to write military SF here, if you want to read some good military SF try anything by David Drake or David Weber.  Tenchi's never tried to hide who he is; it's just that no one believed him when he told them.

Peacekeeperchuck – Thank you, I hope I can maintain the same level in the rest of the chapters.  Or improve it.

Ministry Agent – Force-feeding them mothballs?  Yech.  They did some rotten stuff to us but nothing that would cause any lasting effects.  Unless you count psychological effects that is.  I'm continually watching over my shoulder for the men in the funny white coats.  A description of George eh?  Since this seems to be the chapter for descriptions, let's see…

Unit GRG 

"George" is about 20 meters long and 6 meters high (damn metrics, I'm used to inches and feet.)  He displaces about 170 tons (or tonnes, if you're British.  We colonists have really screwed up the language, right?)  He has two sets of tracks (4 tracks total) running the length of his hull; an inner set and an outer set.  This allows him to maneuver even if two tracks are lost.  His main gun is a 20 cm plasma weapon, mounted in a rotating turret, that fires a slug of compressed, frozen hydrogen at near lightspeed using an electromagnetic accelerator.  The hydrogen is heated and further compressed by the gun's magnetic field so that by the time it emerges it's fusion-hot.  The close defense weapons (hell, why not call them Infinite Repeaters?)  fire a similar but slower projectile at a much higher rate of fire and for much shorter distances.  His AI (artificial intelligence) program is capable of fully independent thought and it's only military paranoia that requires him to have a crew.  Ka'dithy's Nimby is a similar vehicle but a bit smaller.  Nimby's main weapon is a 10 cm weapon and less accurate over long distances.  It could possibly hit a ship in orbit, but it would be more by luck than anything else and would need multiple hits to kill it whereas George could most likely do it in one shot.

***  pause for breath before continuing ***

Ranger – (Who sent me an email review) Yep, that's exactly what he has, a Bolo.  I applaud you for picking that up.

*****

**The t'Dnal.**

Physical Description 

The t'Dnal are a humanoid species that differ from Terrans or Juraians in several minor respects.  The females (all t'Dnal are females) have two sets of breasts, one above the other with the lower ones being as well formed but usually much smaller than the upper set.  They have a short tail, about 2 to 3 inches long that that they normally keep tucked in against their backside but when angry, surprised or otherwise aroused it can stand straight out and fluff up like a cat's.  

The t'Dnal tend to be slender and well proportioned; a fat t'Dnal is rare but slightly plump ones are not unusual.  They have hair in all the expected places and it runs the gamut of normal humanoid (for anime anyway) colors.  Except for the palms of their hands, the soles of their feet and around certain areas of the breasts, their skin is covered with fine, almost invisible fuzz, the racial remnant of fur.  From a short distance and in loose clothing they would be indistinguishable from a Human or Juraian.  

Their strength and other attributes fall well within the humanoid norm; they are not abnormally strong, can't fly or breathe underwater; no fangs, retractable claws or wings.  They _can_ see slightly better in the dark though.

General background 

The t'Dnal species evolved on a temperate, forested world with very little climatic change.  Basically a peaceful people, the males of the species could be very aggressive toward each other when any sort of conflict arose.  The females are more passive but by no means submissive.  Over time a genetic defect appeared in the species affecting only the male portion of the population.  The best minds on t'Dnal and Planet Jurai tried to solve the problem but nothing worked (this was when Washu was a prisoner on Soja BTW) and so all the males eventually died off.  Due to his defect a male t'Dnal born now seldom lives past his fifth year and NEVER to puberty, thus the current t'Dnal society is entirely female.  

The t'Dnal are very sexual beings that are biologically compatible with most other humanoids and the t'Dnal genetics are ALWAYS dominant when mixing with other species.  The t'Dnal are a long-lived species, the average lifespan being approximately 800 Earth years.  They age slowly, not showing any outward aging signs until the last few decades of life, and are fertile throughout most of their long lives.

As a people, the t'Dnal prefer to stay on their home planet, some choosing other females as mates and having children together via genetic manipulation and in vitro fertilization; most however, remaining single and childless.  Others, a large minority, choose to leave the homeworld and make their marks in the galaxy at large; often finding male companionship but sometimes not, as finding a mate is not a prime reason for leaving, rather a fringe benefit.  Most of those that do find partners off-world eventually bring those mates home because the t'Dnal homeworld is known for it's natural beauty and is a pleasant place to live.

The t'Dnal make fine soldiers and police officers as they are absolutely loyal to family, friends and employers, refuse to do anything that violates their rigid code of ethics and are a highly intelligent people.  However, because of the extremely low birthrate (with the t'Dnal ethics, cloning is not an option), the t'Dnal as a species are in a no-win situation.  It's been estimated by the greatest scientific minds on both the t'Dnal homeworld and Planet Jurai that there will be no more t'Dnal within the next few millennia.

Ka'dithy 

Ka'dithy is typical of the t'Dnal who choose to venture off-planet; she's restless and has a sharp sense of humor.  The youngest of three siblings and still fairly young for a t'Dnal, her age in Earth years is about 40; she looks early to mid twenties though and this will not change significantly for the next 700 or so years.  She's of average height and build, with dark red/brown hair that's usually plaited in a loose braid to just below the nape of her neck (think hair like Excel from Excel Saga only shorter.)  Her eyes are a dark, almost midnight, blue.  

Her family is fairly well-to-do and highly placed in the loose planetary government and her mothers were disappointed that she chose not to follow her sisters into the family political business, but they will support her in whatever she does.  

Ka'dithy, feeling uncomfortable in t'Dnal society for reasons even she can't explain, decided that she needed to make a name for herself off-world, so at the first opportunity she enlisted in the Juraian military.  This was also something of a disappointment to the family as they offered to buy her a commission but she turned them down flat, wanting to rise through the ranks on her own merits.  

Although she likes to play jokes on everyone, she teases Tenchi mercilessly because deep down she knows that he would never take her actions seriously nor try to take advantage of her playful come-ons.  She really likes Tenchi and is comfortable around him but does not consider herself in love with him, although she probably wouldn't turn down an opportunity to be with him if it arose; concubines and multiple marriages are allowed by t'Dnal society, but are very uncommon due to the lack of males.  However, Tenchi has made it clear to her that he's totally committed to his wives; she respects him for this and because of her loyalty to him (and also to Ayeka and Ryoko by proxy) has to content herself with her teasing until something or someone else comes along.

*****

BobR

11/19/2002


	5. Interlude

Disclaimer

Tenchi and all associated characters are the property of AIC and Pioneer LDC.  I don't own any rights to them.  Any other characters are property of their respective copyright holders, not me.

*****

Duty Calls

Chapter 5

Interlude

*****

"Tenchiii…" Ayeka whispered in his ear.  "Are you awake?"  She nibbled on his earlobe feeling wicked at the actions she was contemplating.

The young man in question groaned and rolled over pulling the covers off his wife.  She giggled and pulled them back, rolling him in the other direction so that he was facing her.  Tenchi mumbled something in his sleep and wrapped an arm around his royal wife.  His hand came into direct contact with something soft, warm, smooth and round causing his fingers to move about exploring this strange, yet somehow familiar, object.  He gave a tentative squeeze and the princess giggled again as she felt his hand massage her bare bottom.  Tenchi's eyes snapped open and he found himself looking deeply into Ayeka's red-pupiled orbs.

The princess grinned.  "You _are_ awake.  Let's find out just how awake you are."  She moved her own hand down his torso, trailing her slender fingers across his chest.  He quickly, and somewhat reluctantly it seemed, released her bottom and brought his hand around to grab her wrist.

"Not _that_ awake," he told her as he pulled her hand back up and gently kissed it.

"I can fix that, husband," the princess said as she pulled her hand loose and dove under the covers head first.

Tenchi tried to squirm away but Ayeka held him fast.  He felt her lips move across his belly.  "You've been spending too much time with Ryoko," he admonished as he squirmed again.

"She's taught me some techniques," a muffled voice agreed.  "She says she learned them from reading your father's books."

"Figures," Tenchi muttered then groaned as Ayeka found what she was looking for.  "Ayeka, stop.  What about the kids?  What if we wake them up?"

A hand snaked out from under the covers and a finger pressed against his lips; the princess stopped what she was doing so she could answer him.  "They're with Washu tonight.  And tomorrow night with mother, the following night with Funaho and then…"

He pulled her hand away.  "All right, all right.  I get the picture.  But what about…?"  He trailed off as he felt her resume her ministrations.

After a moment Ayeka paused again.  "I told them not to bother us until noon."

"You had this all planned, didn't you?" he managed to ask between groans.

There was a quiet giggle from down below and he felt his wife change position.  "Too much time alone with Ryoko," he mumbled and then he surrendered himself to the moment.

*****

Deep in the bowels of a Juraian military transport, somewhere between here and there, Merlaj was busy working on a minor problem with George's communications array.  She suddenly sneezed and looked around suspiciously.  She wiped her nose on her sleeve and went back to work, grumbling about the unfairness of her life.

"You could have taken leave too, you know," George's voice whispered from the comlink in her ear.

"I know," she said aloud, knowing that the vehicle AI could hear everything.  "But that would've given the game away."  She sneezed again.  "You know, it's awfully dusty in these access tubes.  Who does your cleaning?"

"Are you volunteering?"

She chuckled as she reattached another cable that had worked itself loose over the years.  "Not me.  Housework is _not_ something I enjoy doing."  She reached into a small area to clip the cable tight and skinned her knuckles.  "Ow!  Dammit," she exclaimed withdrawing her hand and jamming her fingers in her mouth.  She sucked on the hurt until the healing process was finished.

"But you don't mind this type of work?" asked George when he saw her resume the repair.  "How odd."

Merlaj looked up at where she knew the AI's optical pickup in this area was located and grinned.  "I guess I take after mom in that regard."

"Mom?"  George searched the records he had access to.  "Ah yes.  She was one of the original programmers for the heavy vehicle AI software you know."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me," muttered the specialist as she reached for another loose cable.  Merlaj worked in silence for a few moments.

"You're very good at this," George said suddenly.  "You're not what I expected."

The com specialist stopped working.  "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I was there," George stated cryptically.

"Where?" Merlaj asked, suddenly fearful.  She was in a small, enclosed space within an intelligent combat vehicle that might suddenly decide it didn't like her.  And she wasn't terribly fond of enclosed spaces to start with, a phobia she'd developed over the years.

"On Jurai, all those years ago," the AI replied.  "I was badly damaged in the attack."

Merlaj dropped the tool she was working with.  "And now it's time for revenge, is that it?  Well I'm sorry, that's all I can say so take your best shot."

The AI suddenly understood that the past was a painful subject for this woman.  "I didn't mean to offend you; I know that there were extenuating circumstances, it's all in the records."

Merlaj's mouth twitched.  "Was that an apology I just heard?  From you?"

George made a sound as if he was clearing his throat.  "Yes.  And don't count on too many more, it's not in my nature."

Merlaj grinned as she reached for the tool she'd dropped.  "I got it.  And thanks."

"You're welcome."  George paused.  "Princess."

Merlaj smiled wickedly and went back to work splicing cable.

*****

The family spent the afternoon wandering through the Royal Zoological Gardens.  The two kids were enthralled by all the different live animals that were on display, even though some of them weren't immediately obvious as being defined by 'live' or even 'animal' in some cases.  Washu took great pleasure in telling Tenchi and Ayeka about the feeding habits of some of the specimens; when the kids were out of earshot of course.  Tenchi had visited zoos before and had even taken Ayeka, Ryoko and the kids to the Tokyo Zoo one weekend.  Of course, elephants, giraffes, lions and such could never compare to this.  The most dangerous critters were kept behind shatterproof transparent metal viewing windows, and just to be safe, Washu had fitted little Keiko with a teleport damper.  She had gotten the little girl to agree to wear it by telling her that her brother didn't get one.  She did have to promise Juro that he could have his choice of toys later, just to keep him from being too upset.

About halfway through the tour, Ayeka pulled Tenchi aside while Washu continued on with the children, happily telling them about the time she'd captured a fierce Krayt Dragon single handed.  The royal couple sat down on a convenient bench and Ayeka snuggled against Tenchi's shoulder.

"The children are behaving exceptionally well today don't you think?" the princess asked her husband.  "But I think Keiko misses her mother."  She ran her hand along his arm drawing strange looks from passerby who weren't used to a member of the Royal Family acting so forward in public.

"I think she does too," Tenchi said.  "So do I."  Ayeka pinched him.  "Not that I'm not really, really enjoying my time alone with you dear," he continued hastily.  "Especially last night."

Ayeka giggled quietly and blushed.  "Well, I expect there will be an encore performance tonight," she told him.  "And I also expect greater effort on your part."

"Yes, well…" Tenchi stood up and looked around, he didn't see Washu or the kids anywhere.  He reached down to help Ayeka to her feet.  "Come on," he said. "We'd better catch up before they send out the search parties."

*****

Merlaj was relaxing in the crew's lounge on the transport ship.  She took a sip of her drink and made a face as she swallowed.  "Damn Juraians; can't even brew a decent beer," she muttered.  "And when I asked for sake you'd a thought the bartender was going to die of a fit on the spot."  One of the male crewmen from another table walked over and sat down across from her.  She looked at him coldly.

"Hey little lady," he said with a smile that showed off the fact that he didn't visit a dentist regularly.  "You're wit' that armored unit, ain'tcha?  I seen you 'round the ship a bit, always by yourself."  Merlaj tried to ignore him, which only made him try harder.  "My friends and me," he nodded toward a table that had several male and female crewmembers around it who raised their glasses to her, "want ta know if'n you'd like to join us."

"I don't think so," Merlaj replied frostily.  "When I drink, I prefer to drink alone.  Besides, I'm not your type.  Or theirs."  She turned away from him hoping he'd get the hint that she wasn't interested.  He didn't.  His hand reached out and grabbed her wrist.  Her head snapped around and her eyes narrowed.

"And just what type are you?" he asked, sure of himself.

"My type," came a quiet voice from behind Merlaj.  The specialist looked back over her shoulder and into Ka'dithy's deep blue eyes.  "She's my type," the t'Dnal repeated.  "Now get your filthy hands off her."

"Hey, I didn't know I was poachin'," the man said hastily letting go of Merlaj's arm.  He stumbled back to his table amidst much laughter and teasing from his friends.

"Thanks for the save," Merlaj told Ka'dithy when the two girls were safely out in the corridor.  "But I think I could've handled the situation myself."

"Not without busting a few heads," the t'Dnal said, not looking the other woman in the eye.  "And probably getting your own busted to boot.  Besides, I didn't do it for you, I did it for Tenchi."

Merlaj suddenly when cold.  "Just what do ya mean by that?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

"You're Tenchi's crewmate.  I couldn't just let you face that primate and his friends yourself."

Merlaj relaxed.  "Oh.  So what you said in there about me being your type, that was just to get him to back off."

Ka'dithy's head snapped up and her eyes flashed.  "Look Merlaj, I don't know enough about you to like or dislike you but right now I'm leaning toward the 'dis' end of the spectrum.  But like I said, I didn't do it for you, I did it for Tenchi since I know he'd do it for me if the situation arose."

Merlaj's dark eyes darkened a bit more.  "I…  see.  Thanks anyway.  Tell ya what though, you stay outta my way and I'll do my best to stay outta yours.  Agreed?"

"Suits me fine."  Ka'dithy turned on her heel and walked off.

Merlaj's dusky face brightened with a wide grin as she watched the other woman disappear.  _Tenchi, Tenchi, Tenchi, _ she thought.  _It seems you've done it again, lover boy. _  She started laughing and wandered off in the opposite direction from the t'Dnal, towards the vehicle storage and George; she thought this might be a good night to sleep in his command chair.

*****

Lieutenant Soja had put up with a lot of teasing growing up.  Some of it about his name being the same as that of an infamous pirate ship, but the majority of it because he was the ninth son of a very minor noble house and thus pretty much a nobody in Juraian social circles.  When he was young he had dreamt of rescuing and marrying the beautiful princess Ayeka from her centuries of cold sleep and living happily ever after.  But six years ago reality and life had smacked him soundly across the face like a dead fish when it was announced that Princess Ayeka had married.  He had been so crushed that he couldn't even watch the festivities when they'd been broadcast, all he knew was that she'd married some Terran and that there was a former Space Pirate involved somehow.  

Now Soja was a recent graduate of the Juraian Military Academy and like all newbie Lieutenants he knew exactly what the big brass was doing wrong and just how to fix it.  A pity no one wanted to listen to him, instead they'd assigned him to this armored company fresh out of training itself and sent him off to the ass-end of the empire to show the flag so to speak.  And to top it all off, one of his 'squad leaders', a lowly corporal, had a command vehicle with greater firepower than his.  Admittedly, he hadn't met the boy yet as this Tenchi was taking leave time to spend with his no doubt plain wife and bratty kids, but when he did meet this Masaki person he would let him know in no uncertain terms exactly who was in charge and that he expected nothing less than blind obedience.

Soja, totally lost in thought, rounded a corner in the corridor leading from the vehicle bay to the living quarters and ran smack into the more than ample chest of a slender dark skinned woman heading the other way, laughing softly to herself.  After picking himself up off the floor he was about to apologize when he saw the rank tabs on her collar.  "Specialist…" he squinted at her nametag. "Merlaj is it?  You need to watch where you're going."

The woman stood there with her hands on her hips and watched him through narrowed eyes.  "Who ran into who here?" she asked.  She didn't jump to attention, salute or even address him as 'sir', which made Soja more than a bit angry.

"Stand at attention when addressing a superior officer Specialist," he snapped at her.  She just stood there in the same insolent position.

"Officer maybe, superior's yet t' be proven," she came back, intentionally applying a thick accent to her husky voice.  Soja clenched his fists and started to turn red.

"Do you know who I am?" Soja demanded loudly.

"Nope, nor do I really care.  You could be the Head Sanitation Engineer fer all I know," Merlaj responded.

"The what?" he asked in a puzzled tone.

"Chief Garbage Person.  The bin in m' quarters needs emptying by the way."

The good Lieutenant grew almost purple with rage.  "I AM YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER," he tried to bellow but it came out more as a loud squeak.

"Oh.  Nice ta meet ya."  Merlaj took his hand and shook it vigorously.  "You need ta see a medic about yer blood pressure though, 'pears like it's a tad bit on the high side.  Look, I'd really like t' stay and chat but I've got s'more things t' fix on George and I've got a bunch a stuff to think about before Tenchi gets back in a few days."  She moved around him and continued down the corridor at a leisurely pace.  _What a dweeb, _ she thought.  _Tenchi'll eat him alive and if he doesn't, _I_ will.  Or maybe I should turn Ka'dithy loose on him; now _there's_ an idea with merit! _  Merlaj started to laugh again.

Lieutenant Soja was speechless as he turned and watched the shapely bottom of the specialist move away.  That was another black mark against Corporal Masaki; how come _he_ got the good looking girl while the godly Lieutenant was stuck with some old guy who wore glasses and whined whenever he was asked to do something simple, like get his commander a cup of tea.

*****

"Open up George," Merlaj called to the vehicle as she approached it.  

George extended the ladder and popped the hatch.  His bright interior lights spilled out into the dimness of the vehicle bay.  "How is it that you're not asleep in your bunk?" he asked as Merlaj clambered up his side.  "Do you know what time it is?  Roll Call's in less than five hours."

"I know," she replied.  "I just ran into our new Lieutenant.  Literally.  Besides, if you check your records you'll see that I don't need to sleep that often."  She settled into Tenchi's command chair and sighed gratefully as George adjusted it to her contours.  "I thought I'd relax here tonight and maybe, just maybe grab a couple of hours sleep to relax my brain, even _I_ need a reboot every so often.  Besides, I need a quiet place to do some thinking."

"About Tenchi."  It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yep," she said, reaching up to dim the cabin lights.  "Him and a few other things."

"You really love him with all your heart, don't you?" George asked quietly.

Merlaj smiled at the video pickup.  "G'night George."  

In a few minutes the AI detected the quiet, rhythmic breathing that showed that Merlaj was finally asleep.  He killed the remaining lights.  "Goodnight and pleasant dreams…  Ryoko."

*****

Author's Notes

Ok, the cat's out of the bag, at least as far as you the reader are concerned.  But don't go thinking that Tenchi's as clueless as he appears; he suspects that Merlaj is more than she seems and is probably a plant of some sort (no, not the green leafy kind).  Even Ka'dithy has her suspicions it seems, although she's still pretty clueless when it comes to Tenchi's background.

I'm not sure about the PG-13 rating on this one anymore given the way I started the chapter even though I tried to avoid coming right out and telling what was going on.  I'd hate to change it to 'R' as this would hide it from a number of readers.  I'd appreciate your opinions on this.

Next Chapter:  Tenchi reports to his duty station; Merlaj and Ka'dithy have a little showdown over Tenchi and the unit sees a bit of action.

*****

Review Responses

Dennisud – Yosho's back on Earth still tending the shrine while Tenchi's away, Washu's with Ayeka and the kids because she wants to keep a close eye on Ryoko and she loves being around children.

Wharpt – The guards knew who he was, they were just too professional to let it slip.  Juro will definitely have his own set of powers at some point.  Perhaps he already does and he just doesn't like to show off, consider whom his parents are.

Negative-Z – I _never_ abandon a project, or at least I haven't yet.  I do sometimes slow down a bit though.

Ministry Agent – I'll have to make him squirm some more then.  Perhaps have Ryoko or Ayeka (or both) walk in while Ka'dithy is teasing him.

Thundergod – Here's Ryoko.  I wasn't planning on having her pop up for another chapter or two but somehow it just seemed to fit at the end here.  After all, George has known who she was almost from the beginning.

Smack54 – I don't see them ever really getting along, even when Ka'dithy finds out who Merlaj really is.  There will be more of an uneasy truce.

Blackbird – Unfortunately they ruined Lexx when they had them find Earth and changed Zev's hair style and color.  That's just my opinion though.

Meekachu – Unit GRG doesn't require any crew to operate properly.  At least that's what he says.  As you can see, Ka'dithy's already met some of Tenchi's family; she just doesn't know it yet.

Taxzombie – You got it, Merlaj is a bodyguard but not one assigned by the government.

I3ittersweet – Er, um…  Actually Ryoko _did_ go to the Juraian Military to see Tenchi.  Not by her own doing though.

Alighthawk – Me?  Send Ryoko off somewhere?  Don't you know by now that Ryoko doesn't go anywhere Ryoko doesn't _want_ to go?  And she _wants_ to be with Tenchi.

*****

BobR

11/27/2002


	6. Planetfall

Disclaimer

Tenchi and all associated characters are the property of AIC and Pioneer LDC.  I don't own any rights to them.  Any other characters are property of their respective copyright holders, not me.

*****

Duty Calls

Chapter 6

Planetfall

*****

Merlaj and Ka'dithy watched, from opposite ends of the room of course, as the transport shuttle smoothly docked with the ship.  Once all the connections had been made the green light above the docking tube lit and the passengers started to disembark.  Tenchi was one of the last to appear and both girls moved towards him the moment he did.  Ka'dithy was the first to reach him and she looped an arm through his as Merlaj came up to them.  The dark skinned woman threw the t'Dnal an angry look and Ka'dithy just stuck out her tongue and smiled back.

After some quick hellos, Tenchi disentangled himself from Ka'dithy and bent over to grab his bag.  Merlaj beat him to it.  "I can get that," he told her.  "It's kinda heavy."

"That's all right," Merlaj replied, effortlessly hefting the bag onto her shoulder.  "I've already got it.  Besides, I'm sure you two have _a lot_ of catching up to do so I'll just follow along behind.  Don't pay any attention to me, ok?  Just pretend I'm not here," she said sarcastically.

"That shouldn't be hard to do," said Ka'dithy as she made another grab for Tenchi's arm.  The comment and her action earned her another evil look from Merlaj.  

Tenchi's attention moved back and forth between the two girls as he wondered just what had gone on with them while he was away.  Coming to a decision, he took both of them by the arm and led them to the exit.  "I don't know what's going on here," he told them.  "And I really don't care.  It will stop though, right now.  I'm not some prize to fight over you know.  And Ka'dithy," he turned to the t'Dnal.  "You, if anyone, should know that by now.  I'm willing to cut Merlaj a little slack because she's only known me for a little more than a week, but you…  You should know better."

Ka'dithy hung her head.  "Sorry Tenchi," she apologized.  Merlaj hid a smile.

"And you," he turned to his communications specialist.  "I'll tell you the same thing I told Ka'dithy weeks ago, I'm a married man so whatever ideas you might have you might as well forget them now.  Unless you're one of my wives, I'm not interested.  We'll be spending quite a bit of time working together so our relationship needs to be friendly and intimate, but not _that_ intimate."  Tenchi snickered silently.

"Yes Tenchi," the specialist replied, barely managing to suppress her grin.

"Good, I'm glad we all understand each other.  Now, I need to get my things put away then grab something to eat.  Merlaj, since you've got the bags, lead the way to the platoon's billet."

"Tenchi," Merlaj said as the trio progressed down the corridor.  "I don't know what you've done, if anything, but the Lieutenant seems to have it in for you.  George has logged several queries to Jurai about your background."

"Nimby's reported the same thing," piped in Ka'dithy.  "I don't think he's gotten a response though, but your _specialist_ would know more about that."

The dark skinned woman gave the t'Dnal a scathing look and then her face brightened.  "Nope, all he's been getting back are polite acknowledgements that they've received his requests."  Merlaj giggled.  "I don't think they like him very much."

"That appears to be the general consensus of anyone who comes into contact with him," agreed Ka'dithy.  "I know I don't like him and I've only talked to him once."

"You're lucky then," said Merlaj.  "He's been on my case ever since I bumped into him in the corridor a few nights ago.  Mostly he's been pumping me for information on Tenchi."

"Wait a minute, hold on," Tenchi came to a dead stop.  "You two have been listening in on private communications?"

Merlaj looked down at her toes while Ka'dithy inspected the ceiling for peeling paint.  "Um, it was George's idea actually.  He's been scanning incoming and outgoing messages for anything that concerns you."

Tenchi was stunned.  "Even the coded ones?"

"Er…  yep.  But hey, it's not like we actually _read_ the things.  We just look for stuff they might be saying about you."

Tenchi turned to Ka'dithy.  "How about you?  Do you read the coded stuff too?"

The t'Dnal shook her head.  "No, only the regular mail.  I would never read stuff that came in coded; besides, Nimby doesn't have the decoding equipment that George does."

"This stops right now too, understand?"

Merlaj opened her mouth to speak.  "But Corporal…"

Tenchi held up his hand and her mouth snapped shut.  "No buts, no ifs, no exceptions," he stated.

"Yes sir," the specialist said.

Tenchi glared at her but there was no malice or anger in the look, only suppressed humor.  "And no sirs.  If you want to 'sir' somebody go find an officer.  Both of you know me well enough, so it's just Tenchi when we're together."

Reaching the bunkroom that had been assigned to Tenchi's squad, Merlaj threw Tenchi's bags on the empty bunk under her own, drawing a glare from Ka'dithy.  Tenchi seemed not to notice anything going on between the two girls.  After make sure his things were stowed away properly he grabbed each girl by an arm.  "Now, where can a man get a bite to eat on this tub?"

*****

Merlaj stood at one of the rare observation ports aboard the military transport, lost in her thoughts.  Tenchi had settled into the quarters they all shared, albeit in another bunk, separated from hers by thin mattress and set of springs, much to her disappointment, and was presently reporting to Lieutenant Soja.  _This is taking forever, _ she thought as she watched the stars creep slowly past.  _It's taken us almost two weeks to travel from Jurai to wherever we're going.  I could've done it in two hours.  Hell, the shuttle Tenchi was on caught up to us in less than a day. _  She felt a thought insinuate itself into her mind.  Something about bulk transports and civilian ships being restricted to the lower levels of hyperspace while warships and couriers used the higher, faster ones.  "I know that," she muttered inaudibly.  "And get out of my mind, I'm supposed to be on a secret mission here; no contact, remember."  She felt rather than saw a huge grin surrounded by a mass of red as the familiar touch withdrew.  Merlaj turned away from the window, totally depressed with her current situation.  She noticed there were more people in the observation area now and decided to head to the vehicle deck.  As of right now, George was the only one she could pour her feelings out to, not that the cynical AI really cared one way or the other.

"Hello Specialist Merlaj," George said as he extended his boarding ladder.  "Beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Can it," Merlaj said as she looked around the vehicle bay.  Sensing no one else near, she ignored the ladder and floated up to the hatch.  "We're in deep space.  Day and night don't mean anything."

"I know that," the vehicle replied.  "I was just making conversation."

Merlaj settled into her own seat instead of Tenchi's this time.  "That's what I'm here for."

The AI sensed the depression in the other's tone and a screen suddenly lit up in front of Merlaj; on it in large letters, it said: The Doctor is IN.  "Shall we get started?" George asked.  "I have other patients you know."

*****

Tenchi stood at attention in front of the desk while Lieutenant Soja shuffled papers around.  Tenchi knew he was being purposefully ignored but as the other was his putative superior he had little choice but to bear with it.

After a few minutes the officer looked up as if noticing Tenchi for the first time.  "Corporal Masaki," Soja said in a snide voice.  "How nice of you to finally show up.  While you were off gallivanting around wherever you were, most of your squad mates were here preparing for battle."  He held up his hand to forestall any reply from Tenchi.  "Now," he continued.  "I understand the need to get away once in a while, so I won't hold it against you.  But understand something," the lieutenant leaned forward, placing both hands on the desk.  "I will not tolerate insubordination from anyone in my platoon.  You will follow my orders to the letter, is that understood?  Corporal?"

"Yes sir," Tenchi said.

"I'm glad we had time for this little talk.  Dismissed."  Tenchi saluted and turned on his heel to leave.  "Oh, and corporal," Soja called softly as the door opened.

Tenchi stopped.  "Yes sir?"

"I'll be watching you.  Watching you very, very closely."

The door closed behind Tenchi and he let out his breath in a sharp hiss.  "Told you he was something, didn't I?" came a voice from behind him.  Tenchi turned to find Ka'dithy lounging idly against the corridor wall.

"You and Merlaj did warn me," Tenchi replied with a lopsided grin.  "I just wish I knew what I'd done to make him dislike me."

"Yours is bigger than his," the t'Dnal said.

"What?  How would you know that?"  Tenchi tried to cover himself even though he was fully clothed.

"Your vehicle silly," Ka'dithy giggled.  "George is bigger than his command vehicle.  Must be a guy thing.  Besides, I've seen yours and you have nothing to be ashamed of.  Bet he couldn't find his with tweezers and a magnifying glass."

"We have the same saying on Earth," Tenchi said with a laugh as the two moved off down the corridor.  "But he _is_ our platoon leader so we have to show him some respect."

"I have to respect the rank, not the person," Ka'dithy told him.  "Don't even ask that of me.  I respect you, I respected Sergeant Odurona; hell, I even respect Merlaj to an extent.  But that idiot?"  She shook her head violently.  "No way."

*****

Merlaj phased partially through her bunk to watch Tenchi's sleeping form.  _Just like old times, _ she thought as she studied his relaxed face.  _Poor boy.  Ol' Ayeka must've really worn him out. _  She giggled silently.  _Ha.  My turn'll come and when it does, he's really gonna know what 'worn out' feels like. _  She watched him for a few more moments then pulled herself back up.  _Can't let anyone catch me doing that.  Bad Ryoko, _ she admonished herself.  _He'll never forgive me if he finds out. _

Tenchi heard the almost silent sound of Merlaj phasing back up to her own bed.  He slowly opened one eye and when he didn't see anything out of the ordinary, he grinned slightly.  _All right Ryoko, _ he thought.  _I can play whatever game you and Washu are playing too.  Heh.  They should know that Ayeka can't keep a secret like this from me. _  He rolled over and, still smiling, finally went to sleep.

*****

"All right you losers, listen up!" Lieutenant Soja called from the podium at the front of the small briefing room the unit had been assigned.  He thought he projected a command image well and stood with a smug look on his face as the room quieted.  What had actually come out of his mouth was a high-pitched squeak and what he took for expressions of rapt attention on the other nine members of his platoon were really looks of stunned disbelief.

"We reach our destination in two hours and planetfall will be thirty minutes after that.  You and your vehicles had better be ready."  Soja looked around the room.  "Any questions?"   He started to gather up his papers from the podium.

A lone figure tentatively raised her hand.  "Sir, uh, where exactly are we going and why?" she asked.

"What?" Soja responded, looking up and spotting the questioner.

"What's our mission sir?" the woman asked.

"That's top secret soldier," the Lieutenant told her.  "Need to know and all that."

"Um, Lieutenant?" Tenchi stood up.  "I think we need to know.  If you expect us to succeed that is."

Soja glared at Tenchi who sat back down quickly.  "Of course I'm going to tell you," the officer said.  He spread his papers back out and picked up a small remote control.  He pressed a button on it and he didn't notice Merlaj's cringe or her look of relief when the only thing that happened was that a holopicture of a planet appeared floating overhead.  "This is the planet Tamar IV, a farming world colonized by the Mau, one of the Empire's member races. It's on the outer rim, well off the main trade routes but it's still a major producer of foodstuffs for the sector."

Two small lights lit up on the planet, almost opposite each other.  The platoon leader used a laser pointer to indicate each one.  "These are the two major population centers, if they have names I don't know what they are.  The rest of the planet, the part that's not still wild that is, is automated farms.  The entire planetary population is somewhere under 300,000 persons, concentrated in the population centers."

"Cities," Ka'dithy mumbled.

"What's that?" Soja glared out over his captive audience.  "Someone said something."

"I was just wondering if they were big enough to be called cities, sir," the t'Dnal spoke out.

"I wouldn't know soldier.  With a population that small large towns would probably be more appropriate."

"Yes sir.  Large town it is then sir."  Ka'dithy started to scribble furiously in her notepad and there were several almost inaudible snickers.

Soja pressed another button on the remote and the image of the planet vanished soundlessly.  "Now, as to why we're going to Tamar IV.  It seems that the planetary government is threatening to rebel against the Juraian Empire and it's up to us to see to it that that doesn't happen, to show the flag so to speak.  I might mention that the Emperor takes this threat very seriously and expects us all to do our best."

"Funny," Tenchi muttered as he made some notes of his own.  "He didn't mention anything about a rebellion to me when I talked to him a couple of days ago."

"Do you have something to add _Corporal_ Masaki?"  Lieutenant Soja made sure he emphasized the rank.

"No sir, just making some mental notes."

Soja nodded.  "Fine, good.  If you would be so kind as to remain behind corporal, the rest of you are dismissed.  Get your vehicles loaded and ready for disembarking.  That will be all."

"Yes sir?" Tenchi asked when the rest of the platoon had finished filing out.  "You wanted to talk to me sir?"

Soja finished gathering up his briefing materials.  "Yes, I did.  For whatever reasons they might have, the army has seen fit to assign only our platoon to this mission."  Tenchi nodded in understanding.  Soja smiled wickedly and continued.  "And since they have also seen fit to put off assigning me a proper platoon Sergeant then I'll have to use you, since you have a command vehicle.  Don't let it go to your head."

"No sir," Tenchi said, hiding a smile.

The young officer cleared his throat.  "Here's what we're going to do."  He pushed the button on the remote that brought up the planetary map, the two "large towns" still indicated.  "I'm taking half the vehicles and will establish the CP here," he indicated one of the lights.  "You will take the other half and occupy the other population center.  Here are the vehicles I've assigned to you."  Soja handed Tenchi a small piece of paper.  Tenchi glanced at it and was pleased to find Units NMB and WHT on the short list.

"Thank you sir," Tenchi said, snapping to attention and saluting.

"Don't thank me yet corporal," Soja replied, returning the salute.  "You're still under my command and you will do exactly what I tell you, understood?"

"Understood sir."

"Good, I'm glad we agree.  Now see to your vehicle soldier."

*****

"Release in 5, 4, 3, 2…"  

Tenchi's stomach did several flips as George left the gravity field of the transport ship.  Not being a ship himself, George didn't carry a gravity generator nor did the disposable landing sled that he was currently attached to.  The lack of gravity didn't seem to bother Merlaj in the least though.

"Are you sure we'll be all right?" Tenchi asked the AI as the planetary disc of Tamar IV spun past George's optical receptors.

"Sure thing Tenchi," the AI replied.  "I've done this hundreds of times."

"Hundreds?"

"Well, mostly in simulation.  The last time I actually dropped from orbit was oh, 300 years ago."

Tenchi started. "300 years…" 

"Hey," George said.  "I'm a computer, it's like yesterday to me."

"Just don't break any of the stuff I've fixed over the past few weeks when we hit," Merlaj piped in.

"They're your repairs.  If they come apart on impact it's your fault," George countered.  "Don't you trust your own work?"

"Break?  Come apart?  Impact?  _Hit?_"  Tenchi's eyes began to glaze over as he watched the surface of Tamar IV grow ever closer; they'd never told him about _this_ in Basic Training. "George, uh shouldn't you..."

"Oh, right," George stopped his bantering with Merlaj.  "Braking thrusters coming on line.  Firing."  Gravity suddenly returned with a vengeance, pushing Tenchi and Merlaj deep into the cushioning of their contoured seats.  The readouts in front of Tenchi showed that Units NMB, WHT and RYN had also begun their braking right on schedule.

"Wahoo!" Tenchi heard Ka'dithy cry out over the intervehicle com channel.

"Surface in 30 seconds," George announced as the thruster's roar deepened.  "15 seconds.  5 seconds."  There was a sharp thud and a jerk that rattled Tenchi's teeth.  "All done.  There, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" the AI asked smugly.

*****

The four armored vehicles moved smoothly toward the objective, what Lieutenant Soja so blithely called a 'large town'.  Their great weight was so evenly distributed that they barely sank into the loose soil of Tamar IV.  Tenchi watched his viewscreen as the buildings drew closer.  "Ok George," he said to the AI.  "Time to show the flag as the good Lieutenant put it."  A small hatch popped open on the top of George's turret and a short staff shot up.  

When it had reached its full extension a flag began to unfurl.  Tenchi watched this happen on a secondary monitor.  As it unfurled the breeze from the vehicle's movement caught it and snapped it open.  On it was a large cartoon mouse with a huge smile.  George's external speakers began to play an anthem.  "Em Eye Cee, Kay Eee Why..."

"Geez, even in the furthest reaches of the galaxy," Merlaj muttered under her breath as she began to bang her head lightly against her console.  "I smell mom all over this."

"George…"  Tenchi warned.

"Oops.  Now I wonder how _that_ got there."  The banner quickly refurled and the staff retracted.  Another one shot up and this time the flag of the Juraian Empire snapped open.

The small column came to a smooth stop in front of a group of people that were waiting a short distance from the town.  Tenchi eyed the doglike beings with apprehension as George's equipment scanned them for any signs of hostile intent.

"George," Tenchi called softly. "Those baskets the girls are carrying…"

"Are simply baskets Tenchi," the AI finished.  "And they don't contain explosives."  He zoomed in on one of them.  "More like…  flower petals.  My sensors also tell me they should smell exceptionally sweet to you biologics too."

Merlaj stood up.  "Great.  Time to get out of this can then."

"Wait, wait!" Tenchi called.  "I'm in charge so I'll go out and greet them."  He keyed his short-range radio.  "Everybody stay in your vehicles.  I'm going out to see what's going on here."  He unbuckled himself from the chair and stood up.  "Open up George."

The crowd let out a cheer when they saw the hatch on Unit GRG's turret slide open; the girls with flower baskets ran forward and started throwing the petals up into the air in greeting.  The roar grew louder when Tenchi emerged from the vehicle; he quickly scanned the crowd with his own eyes and seeing no immediate danger (something George's enhanced sensors had already told him), he climbed down the ladder.  Upon reaching the ground each of his arms was taken by a small girl and he was led over to where an old man awaited him.

"Uh, hello," Tenchi said.  "I'm here on behalf of the Juraian…"

"I know full well why you're here young man, and who _you_ are, my prince," the old man interrupted.  "We surrender."

To say Tenchi was startled was putting it mildly.  "You what…?" he asked.

"We're the rebels.  We surrender to you Prince Tenchi."

"Could you please not call me that?" Tenchi ask plaintively.

"Eh?" the old man asked.

"Prince.  Just Tenchi's fine, or corporal if you have to use a title.  But stop it with the 'Prince' stuff, ok?"

"As you wish, my Pri… er Corporal Tenchi.  And my name is Dreuma, Mayor of this enclave."

A girl of about 16 or 17 pushed her way through the crowd to stand next to the old being.  "Daddy," she said to the man.  "I like him.  Can I keep him?" 

The old man motioned her away.  "Not now Dreasu, can't you see I'm surrendering?"

"I'll surrender to him any day," the girl said in a low voice as she batted her eyes to Tenchi.  If she had been of feline descent instead of canine she would have been purring.

"Whoa!  Wait just a minute there missy!"  Merlaj had suddenly appeared behind her commander.  "Tenchi isn't available, he's a married man."

The girl called Dreasu looked around, shading her eyes.  "Hmm.  I don't see anyone around here claiming to be his wife."  Merlaj opened her mouth to say something then suddenly snapped it shut, glaring daggers at the young Mau female.

Tenchi held up his hands, his face a bright red color.  "Hold it, _hold it_," he shouted.  "No one's surrendering to anybody until I find out just _what_ is going on around here."

*****

Tenchi sat back in his chair, astounded by what the Mayor, Dreuma had just told him.  "So you're telling me that this whole rebellion was just a ploy to get Jurai to send troops to Tamar IV?"

"Yes Tenchi," the old Mau explained.  The group, including all of Tenchi's detachment, Dreuma and Dreasu were seated in a comfortable room in one of the structures near where the vehicles were parked.  The vehicles themselves were listening in via their commander's com links.

"Our people have been disappearing and our livestock is turning up missing.  Crops have been ruined and strange starships have been seen in orbit off and on for the last few months.  When we asked Jurai for help they sent a survey crew, who of course found nothing.  We were told that we'd have to deal with the problem ourselves; that the Juraian military had more important matters to attend to.  We're an agricultural society, very few weapons except for those that like to hunt; and there is very little to hunt on this world."

Tenchi nodded in understanding.  "And if you declared yourselves in rebellion you figured that Jurai would have to send someone to put it down."

Dreuma smiled, showing his canines.  "And they sent you."

"But I'm not in command," Tenchi explained.  "The Lieutenant…"

"Is half a world away, dealing with my counterpart in the other Enclave.  Don't worry, Remaur will keep him out of your hair as much as possible.  In the meantime, you are our guests.  All we ask is that you help us if and when the time comes."

Tenchi looked around at his platoon mates and saw agreement on all their faces.  "All right," he said.  "It's our sworn duty to defend any and all citizens of the Juraian Empire and hold until relieved."

Dreuma stood up and bowed.  "Then we will show you to your quarters."  Dreasu latched onto Tenchi's arm, drawing an angry glare from both Merlaj and Ka'dithy.

"Tenchi can stay with me," the girl said, rubbing her short muzzle against his shoulder.  The sound of a metal chair arm being ripped free broke the silence that followed the remark.

Dreuma gave Merlaj a sidelong look, the woman's dark face was almost purple with rage; Tenchi had taken him aside on the way into the Enclave and briefly explained things to him.   "Um, I really don't think that would be a good idea daughter.  We have a suite of rooms prepared for them elsewhere."  Turning to Tenchi he continued, "You might not have realized it, but most of our structures are deep underground, the winters here can be deceptively cold and violent.  Our crops and animals do best when there are defined seasons, that's why we didn't choose a more stable environment to farm in.  Most of the time the weather here is pleasant, but occasionally…" He shrugged noncommittally.  "But more on this at a later time, for now you must want to rest a bit."  Everyone followed the old man out of the room.

*****

To be continued

*****

Author's Notes

Not much of a place to end it, is it?  No cliffhanger, no impending action…  And yet another girl makes an appearance, this one even less human than Ka'dithy.  The Mau are not a new species, they appear both in the OAV (Mihoshi's Chief, not her direct superior but the one over him) and GXP (Erma and one of Siena's companions whose name I forget; also a whole village full in one of the later eps).  The plot here is moving along (really, it is), two or three more chapters I think.

*****

Review Responses

Dennisud – Yeah, not too hard.  Lieutenant Soja (gotta love the name) _is_ going to get his all right, but not necessarily from Tenchi.

Ministry Agent – What can I say?  Here dammit, after you threatening to kneecap me I sat down and wrote five pages to finish this one up.  That sort of moved part of this chapter into the next one to meet my self-imposed size limit (I still broke it by two pages though.)  Unfortunately that was also the part with all the blood and gore (just kidding, but there is a bit of that coming up, after all, they _are_ soldiers.)  No more soft-core stuff in this fic though, I promise!  (There's always the next one…)

Thundergod – Between you and Ministry Agent, you stayed on my case until I finished this chapter, although he's much worse than you are about it.  If you two keep it up I just might actually finish the whole fic someday.  Oh yeah, Soja's not going to get it from Ryoko either.  At least at this point I don't think so, we'll have to see what develops though.

Taxzombie – Rude surprises for the good Lieutenant, that's putting it mildly.

Negative-Z – Didn't see it coming?  Really.

Wharpt – Yeah, yeah.  You did it again; I still swear you can read minds.  Let's see if you can guess where it's going now…

Blackbird – There's action and then there's _action_.  I usually put some suggestive things in my fics but try not to get carried away with it (after all, the series itself is rife with suggestive bits).  And it's easy to get carried away, I know, I have to watch myself constantly when the main characters (Tenchi/Ryoko/Ayeka) are in a peaceful domestic situation.  I will _not_ write a real lemon though.  _Never_.  Although I have no problem reading what others write as long as it's well done and the plot centers on something besides the bedroom action.

Lizzy Hakubi – Thanks Lizzy.  Ryoko (Merlaj) will be getting more screentime.

Alighthawk – Ur, um, yeah.  The contour chairs recline so there would probably be enough room.  But with the AI always watching, well it might not bother Ryoko but Tenchi's another matter.

I3ittersweet – Thank you for the compliment.

Meekachu – Sorry I didn't get this one done in time for you to preread it for me before you went on break.  Your chapter of  'Forgiveness' next on the agenda before I continue with this.  Good thing it's about done methinks.

Crion – No actual catfight, Ryoko's mellowed a bit over the years and Ka'dithy's loyal to Tenchi and his family, so once she finds out who Merlaj really is…

TopQuark – Here's the next part, sorry it's taking me so long to pump them out.  You've been pushing me along too.

*****

BobR

12/19/2002


	7. Conflict

Disclaimer

Tenchi and all associated characters are the property of AIC and Pioneer LDC.  I don't own any rights to them.  Any other characters are property of their respective copyright holders, not me.

*****

Duty Calls

Chapter 7

Conflict

*****

Things remained quiet for the next couple of days.  There were a couple of minor confrontations between Ka'dithy and Merlaj, but Tenchi managed to quell those before they got out of hand.  His major problem was Dreasu; she just couldn't seem to keep away from the young warrior.  Tenchi's group had been given a suite on the fifth underground level of the town's administration building.  It consisted of a large common room that served as both a living and dining area, six smaller sleeping rooms, each with private facilities, and a small cooking area.  If anyone had felt the need to cook that is.  Unfortunately the apartments of Dreuma's family were only one floor below them and this made for easy access by Dreasu pretty much whenever she wanted.  Which seemed to be whenever she was awake.

At first Ka'dithy took it upon herself to try to protect Tenchi from the young Mau's unwanted attentions, but after seeing Merlaj's reaction to Dreasu, the t'Dnal decided to sit back and watch the fun unfold.  And fun it was, at least for Ka'dithy.  Dreasu was persistent and innovative, no matter what Merlaj did or what threats she made the Mau girl kept finding her way into the apartment.  She never quite made it into Tenchi's sleeping area however, because Merlaj was always able to intercept her before she'd made it more than a few feet past the outer door.  Tenchi was forced to have words with Dreuma about his daughter's forays and the old Mau promised to try to keep her under control.  He explained that his daughter had her eyes on the stars and was simply looking for a way out of what she considered a boring, dead-end existence.  Tenchi just happened to be her latest scheme and it didn't hurt that she found him attractive either.

Tenchi explained to Merlaj and Ka'dithy about the girl and made them both promise not to hurt her at any time.  He wasn't sure how 'Merlaj' would react if the girl ever actually managed to get into his room but he hoped that the civilizing influence of the past few years would hold her back from inflicting any serious damage on either Dreasu or the accommodations.  He was actually more worried about the tension that seemed to be building between Merlaj and Ka'dithy now that he was back with the squad.  

In order to burn off some of the excess energy Tenchi had his people go out and survey the surrounding area for defensive positions, like they'd been taught to do in training.  After looking over the plans they came up with, he sat down with Dreuma to work out the best way to implement some of them.  He even called Ka'dithy and Merlaj in on a couple of the final sessions because he wanted them to use their energy in a productive way; thus he thought he'd put them in charge of the actual construction.  Dreuma agreed to loan the squad some excavating equipment to build the emplacements.  He even managed to scrounge up a few volunteers to help.

Tenchi's plan seemed to work; the squad was kept busy and the antipathy that had been building between the two girls seemed to lessen.  In fact, the two seemed to work so well together that Tenchi was surprised that Ka'dithy and Merlaj weren't actually good friends.  It was too bad, he thought, Ryoko really didn't have any friends outside of the family, unless you counted her drinking buddies from the other Realities.  And Urd.  Tenchi preferred not to think about Urd too much as she was, well, a little strange.  Even for a goddess.

Tenchi's intentionally infrequent contacts with the Platoon Leader told him that the good Lieutenant was having his share of problems with Dreuma's counterpart, Remaur.  It wasn't that Remaur wasn't trying to be helpful; it was that Soja insisted on acting like his was an occupying force instead of a defensive one.  Remaur had tried to explain the reasoning behind the 'rebellion' but Soja wasn't inclined to listen to reason.  He saw himself as the conquering hero, even though no shots had been fired.  Being half a planet away, Tenchi just agreed with whatever his platoon leader said then went on with his own plans.  If no alien force showed up then no harm done; otherwise, at least his half of the Juraian force would be prepared for whatever happened.

*****

Contrary to what Tenchi thought, the feelings between Merlaj and Ka'dithy didn't lessen.  The two had found common ground while working together and as long as they concentrated on their jobs they got along fine.  Ka'dithy, however, felt that the com specialist had ulterior motives for staying close to Tenchi whilst Merlaj thought that Ka'dithy's feelings ran a bit deeper that she was willing to admit.  Ka'dithy waited for an opportunity to confront the other woman with her suspicions but Merlaj, with her own suspicions, refused to leave Tenchi's side once the defensive positions were completed, except to spend time with George.

One day, shortly after the emplacements were finished, opportunity presented itself; Ka'dithy cornered Merlaj in the hallway outside the apartment.  Looking around to make sure no one else was around, she pushed the other woman roughly against the wall.  "Just what are your intentions with Tenchi?" she hissed in Merlaj's pointy ear.  

The dark skinned woman sneered at her and pushed her away.  "As if that's any of your business, little girl." Merlaj replied.  "What goes on between Tenchi and me is private."  She began to walk away.

Ka'dithy grabbed the other woman by the shoulder and whirled her around.  "I'm making it my business," she said.

"Why?  Afraid I'll hurt him?  Or are you in love with him yourself or something?" taunted the specialist.

Ka'dithy, caught off guard by Merlaj's question, blushed through her light fur.  "That's not it," she said, looking down and digging her toe into the carpet.  "But if I ever was to fall in love with a man, I hope it's with someone like him." She suddenly raised her head and looked the other woman straight in the eye.  "But what about you?  You're good-looking and physically compatible with him.  I'm giving you a warning; don't touch Tenchi.  He's my friend and he's also happily married to two beautiful women.  I won't let anything or anyone interfere with that.  Do you understand me?"

"Oh bravo!" the dusky woman said.  "Defending some women you've never even seen, let alone met.  Listen, when we're together in George's fighting compartment, intimacy is the last thing on either of our minds.  Well, his anyway.  But since you seem to care so much about Tenchi and his family, even though you've never met them, I'll let you in on a secret."  Merlaj leaned forward and whispered something in Ka'dithy's ear.  

The t'Dnal's eyes grew real big and she pulled back from the other woman.  "No," she gasped.  "I don't believe it.  You'll have to prove it to me."

"Yeah," the specialist chuckled.  "I thought as much.  Ok, let's see if this does it."

As Ka'dithy watched in amazement, the other woman floated up off the floor, her dark skin lightening, her close-cropped black hair fading to a light greenish-blue and her dark purple eyes changing to a beautiful golden color, the pupils narrowing to feline-like slits.  Three gems, invisible until now, glowed on the woman's wrists and neck.  "Can't do anything about the ears," Ryoko grumped, flicking the pointy tips of the items in question with a long finger.  "That's mom's work but she says she can put 'em back to the way they were later, and it'll take a while for my beautiful hair to grow back out too."

"You…You…" Ka'dithy stuttered, pointing a shaky finger at Ryoko.

"Me, me what?" Ryoko asked, examining herself.  "Am I showing something I shouldn't?"  She ran her hands down her body.  "Nah, everything appears to be tucked in.  Besides, if it wasn't you should be thrilled, shouldn't you?"

"It's not that.  You…You're the Space Pirate Ryoko."

Ryoko's eyes lit up.  "Oh, yeah.  So I am," she said sarcastically.  "I'm also a princess of Jurai now too, you know.  Just whom did you think Tenchi was married to, anyway?  Some common hussy?"

Ka'dithy staggered back against the wall.  "He told me one of his wives was named Ryoko and the other Ayeka, I thought it was just an odd coincidence.  He always said he worked on a small farm while studying to be a priest, he never said anything about being royalty.  He's always acted, you know…common, like the rest of us."

Ryoko smiled and her eyes grew misty.  "Yep, that's my Tenchi.  Unassuming to a fault."  She started to laugh as she suddenly realized something.  "So you didn't know that Tenchi…?  Oh, this is rich."  The pirate floated back down to the floor and her appearance changed back to that of Merlaj, Tenchi's com operator.  "In this case, Ka'dithy, I have a favor to ask; don't tell Tenchi, ok?"

"You mean he doesn't know?  I find that hard to believe."

"Why?" the disguised Ryoko asked.

It was the t'Dnal's turn to laugh.  "Because from the stories he's told me, you can't keep your hands off him."

"He told you THAT?  Why that…" Ryoko fumed, then grinned.  "Well, I'll admit it has been hard to do.  And he got to spend a whole week alone with the bit… er, Ayeka, which doesn't sit too well either.  Now, tell me about how _you_ feel about my husband."

Ka'dithy returned Ryoko's smile, although a bit ruefully it seemed.  "Tenchi is a friend, nothing more.  We've certainly grown close, but not in the way you and he are close."

Ryoko pondered the t'Dnal's response for a moment as she looked the other woman in the eye.  She thought she saw something there she wasn't sure she liked but she chose to ignore it for now.  "Hmm.  Ok, I'll accept that.  Just don't try anything, sharing him with Ayeka is bad enough."

"You've got nothing to worry about in that area," Ka'dithy stated matter-of-factly.

"Why?" Ryoko asked. "Because you don't like men?"

"Vicious rumors I tell you!  I've _never_ said I didn't like men," Ka'dithy explained, telling Ryoko the same story she'd told Tenchi all those weeks before.  "I like them just fine, I've just never been attracted to any in that way yet.  No, it mainly because my people seldom mate with other species, even if we are biologically compatible.  It's a pheromone thing they say.  Biologically, I _could_ have kids with a Human or Juraian but it's unlikely that I would be attracted to one in the first place.  Friends, yes; lovers, no."

"It's not impossible though," Ryoko stated with a smirk.

"No," the t'Dnal agreed with a slight smile.  "Not impossible, it has been known to happen on occasion.  It's just _very_ unlikely.  Don't worry; I'll keep your secret.  If George ever finds out though…"

"What do you mean?" asked Ryoko, suddenly very worried.

Ka'dithy shrugged.  "A commander has no secrets from his vehicle or vice versa.  Hey!  That means that George must know about Tenchi.  And if George knows…"

Ryoko's eyes grew wide.  "Then it was part of his data dumps and the military knows too.  So why haven't they sent anyone to rescue him?"

"Maybe because they know you're here?  Maybe because they know this whole rebellion is a farce and we're in absolutely no danger from these so-called rebels?"

"Nah," the ex-pirate shook her head.  "My being here wouldn't make any difference.  So it must be the other reason."

Ka'dithy's wrist com suddenly began beeping urgently.  "What is it Nimby?" she asked, raising the unit to her face.

"A group of unidentified spacecraft has suddenly appeared above the planet," came the soft voice of Unit NMB.  "There was no warning of approach and no response to an IFF query.  I suggest you board and prepare for combat."

"Understood.  What about George?" Ka'dithy asked, eyeing Ryoko, who stood futilely pressing the call button on her own unit.

"Unit GRG is already assuming a defensive position outside the city," came the vehicle's reply.

"But Tenchi's com specialist's here with me."

"I'm not interested in your love life Ka'dithy.  I need you here."

"It's not like that and you know it, you mechanical pervert," growled Nimby's commander good-naturedly.  "I'm on my way."  She looked up at Ryoko, still frantically pressing George's call button.  "I don't know why he didn't call you, but I'll find out what's going on and have Nimby give you the details."

Ryoko stopped and looked at the now mangled wrist unit.  "He knows, Ka'dithy.  Tenchi knows and he's trying to protect me.  But I'm supposed to be protecting him.  Ironic, isn't it."  The disguised pirate's mouth twisted into a wry smile.  "But if he thinks this is gonna stop me…"  She teleported away before finishing her sentence.

The t'Dnal woman stood and stared at the empty spot where the Space Pirate Ryoko had stood a moment before.  _She really is something Tenchi, I can see why you feel the way you do about her.  Keep each other safe my friends. _  She turned and ran off towards the vehicle bay and Nimby.

*****

Merlaj reappeared inside George's command compartment, much to the astonishment of both the machine and Tenchi.  Anger flashed in her dark eyes as she wordlessly strapped herself into her chair.  She activated George's command communications and tried to raise the platoon leader, ignoring Tenchi totally for the moment.

Tenchi could tell that the girl was beside herself with anger and he thought he'd better do or say something to defuse it before Ryoko reduced George to a pile of molten metal.  "Hello Ryoko," he said mildly, looking back at the woman over his shoulder.  He could see the muscles in her neck tense up at the sound of her real name.  The disguise faded and except for the pointy ears and short hair, his wife that he had missed so much during his leave on Jurai now sat in the compartment with him.

"How long have you known?" Ryoko asked, not turning away from her console to look at him.

"Since Jurai," he told her.  "You know how Ayeka babbles when she, well…"

"Yeah," Ryoko said with a mirthless chuckle.  "We'll have to get that fixed before she becomes Empress, won't we?  You know, State Secrets and all."  She whirled in her chair and looked at him.  "Why did you leave me?  Why Tenchi?  We're a team."  Tears began to form in the corners of her golden eyes.

Tenchi sighed.  "I didn't actually leave you, I knew you'd find me.  But I didn't want to wait, I don't know what their intentions are."  He pointed up toward where the fleet was in orbit.  "Ryoko, believe me, I don't think I can do this without you."

His wife smiled wryly.  "I dunno, you've done pretty well without me so far.  You're a leader now.  If Azusa could see you he'd drop Ayeka and make you heir."

Tenchi laughed.  "I doubt that, besides, as I've said often enough, I don't want the job.  I just want to tend the fields and the shrine.  And grow old with you and Ayeka."

Ryoko turned back to her console; her mind now at ease and reaching out for a friend she hoped was close by.  "_That's_ gonna take a long while and first we have to make it through this," she told her husband.  "Then we'll take the future as it comes, ok lover?"

"Sure thing Ryoko; we'll be just fine, I know it."  Tenchi glanced back over his shoulder.  "I like your other ears better, but these look good on you too."

Ryoko shivered at the praise and it was all she could do to keep from jumping up and hugging Tenchi.  "Oooh!  You're so _cute_!" she giggled.

*****

George

*****

I notify my commander that a fleet of unknown starships has appeared from hyperspace and is approaching the planet.  Attempts to contact them and ask their intentions have proven unsuccessful.  I compute with a 96.0087 probability that this is the same group that the planetary populace has been worried about and this time they are making no effort to hide their presence.  

Tenchi climbs into his command chair and orders me to move to our first prepared defensive position.  He tells me to send similar instructions to all the other units and a sitrep to the platoon leader.  I don't think the last will do any good and after informing him of this I comply.  I query my commander about his com specialist, wondering why we don't wait for her to appear before moving.  He tells me not to worry, that she'll be "appearing" soon enough.  A quick review of Ryoko's abilities tells me that he's most likely correct in his assumption.  Sure enough, as I pull into my prepared position, Ryoko materializes in my command compartment.  As she takes her seat and begins her duties there is a brief exchange between her and Tenchi that I find mildly amusing and record for later perusal and analysis.  Human nature is one of my hobbies.

Communications Specialist Merlaj, sorry, Space Pirate Ryoko is receiving a reply to my sitrep from our platoon leader.  He is ordering us, Unit NMB, Unit WHT and Unit RYN back to base.  I spend .00097 seconds calculating what my commander's response will be and am pleased to find myself both correct and incorrect when the blade of Ryoko's energy sword slices the command radio into two unequal pieces.  I suspect that there is some form of silent communication passing between my two biologic companions but I am unable to sense anything with any of my equipment.  My commander then uses my sort-range communications to inform Units NMB, WHT and RYN to hold position.  Unit NMB responds affirmatively as expected but Units WHT and RYN begin to withdraw back to the village.  Corporal Masaki once again orders Units WHT and RYN to hold position and this time there is confirmation of the order.  Unit WHT moves back into his defensive defilade while RYN holds just outside the village boundary.

I detect an energy spike from several ships in the orbiting fleet and inform my commander that they are powering up their weapons.  He takes a moment to compose his thoughts then tells me to return fire if and when any other combat unit, civilians or myself are fired upon.  I cannot but agree with him on this; I also do not wish to fire the first shot of an interplanetary war.  Perhaps that was what the Lieutenant was thinking as well.  I divert .002 percent of my processing power for a total of .00004 seconds to consider this.  The conclusion I come to is that the Lieutenant couldn't find his backside with both hands and a map, a feeling I believe my commander shares.

Eight small objects drop from one of the larger ships.  I scan them and discover they contain high-level radioactives; nuclear tipped missiles.  After hearing my report, my Commander assigns Units NMB and WHT with their shorter-range weapons to handle air defense for the squad, Unit RYN is to take out anything that approaches the Mau settlement.  Unit NMB eliminates five missiles with as many shots while Unit WHT manages to catch the other three.  One of the missiles was close to Unit NMB when he destroyed it and he is showered with radioactive debris.  This will not affect his combat capability, but his commander will be stuck inside until he is decontaminated.  The civilian population of the city we are defending is safe for the moment but NMB and WHT's counterfire has now made them targets.  Charged particle beams slash down from above.  These are useless against hardened vehicle armor but the enemy can't know that, yet.  After 14.0956 seconds the beams cease and heavy lasers begin to lash out.  The lasers are slightly more effective, burning off exposed antennae and sensors, but can't really hurt us either.  Several dozen HE missiles are launched and a few get through.  Unit NMB takes a hit, as does Unit RYN.  Both report minimal damage.  My commander orders me to target the ship firing the most weapons.  Once I fire, I too will become a target but that's all right; it's my job.

I rock back on my tracks and a loud thud is heard in my command compartment as the linear accelerator within my main gun boosts the hydrogen charge to .8c.  A hazy blue line extends momentarily from the muzzle of my weapon to the center of one of the attacking ships and beyond.  There is no explosion but the enemy vessel veers off, powerless, and collides with another, thus taking two ships out of action.  I calculated that this would be the probable result of my shot; the two ships were too close together.  Stupid of them.  I also calculate that the enemy won't make the same mistake again.  The firing from above stops, no more beams or missiles are fired or launched.  I believe the enemy is reevaluating his strategy and attempting to develop a method of dealing with my compatriots and myself.

*****

Tenchi and Ryoko

*****

When the orbital bombardment stopped, Tenchi reclined his seat and tilted his head back to look at his wife.  Ryoko was actually sweating, even though George kept the compartment at a comfortable temperature.

"Ryoko, what's wrong?" Tenchi asked, worried about her.

A delicate shudder ran through the pirate. "It's nothing.  I just feel so cooped up in here.  I'm used to fighting in the open, not sealed in a can."

"Pardon me?" George's voice came over the speakers.  This "can" just destroyed or disabled a pair of starships.  In orbit.  From the planet's surface."

"I know," Ryoko replied.  "It's just that I need room to maneuver, plot my own strategy.  I feel like a sitting duck."

"Duck?  Ah, a Terran waterfowl sometimes hunted for its meat.  Not terribly bright.  Hmm, I'm not sure I like the connotation."

Tenchi laughed, "She didn't mean you were a duck, she meant that they have an easy shot at us."

"I see," George said.  "And do you have a better idea my lady?" he continued with a hint of sarcasm.

Ryoko's eyes lit up.  "Sure.  Ryo-ohki's out there, out beyond the enemy.  Let me go to her and I can take 'em from behind."

"Maybe," Tenchi replied, the idea banging around in his head.  "It may work, but first…"

"INCOMING!" George called out.

*****

George

*****

The lull in the bombardment lasted 1263.0027 seconds.  I determine that the enemy has finally developed a new strategy for dealing with us.  I detect multiple launches of solid metallic objects, it seems that our foes will try to break through our defenses with penetrator rounds.  I calculate that each weapon is about twenty centimeters in length and five centimeters thick.  When they strike, each will be moving at approximately 320cps2, more than enough to penetrate any point in our armor.  This attack must be aimed solely at us because such weapons would do very little damage to the village.  Without impact shielding we are at their mercy, the only defense is to not be in the impact area as such rounds are by definition, ballistic.

I inform my commander of the enemy's new attack and he orders all units to move to secondary positions.  Unit WHT complies but Unit NMB has suffered track damage due to the previous attack and is slow to respond.  Unit RYN doesn't respond at all but seems to be undamaged.

I finish moving into my secondary position 2.098 seconds before the weapons hit.  Unit WHT is not yet in position but is out of the impact area.  Unit RYN hasn't moved at all but his aerial defense is active and attempting to eliminate the projectiles headed in his direction.  Unit NMB has barely moved away from his primary position.

The weapons impact.  Where they strike dirt, they penetrate fifty to seventy-five meters into the surface.  Their residual energy bleeds off and liquefies the soil.  Hundreds of tiny volcanoes seem to erupt in our previous positions.  It is a unique sight and I record it for posterity, but unfortunately some of them strike armor as well.  Unit RYN takes several hits and one pierces the hull plating over his fusion plant causing the magnetic bottle to fail.  The sudden release of energy lifts his turret several meters and when it drops it is instantly welded to his hull, skewed and useless; a glowing blue ring of still fusing hydrogen climbs skyward. My sensors show no electronic emissions or life signs and I know that Unit RYN is lost along with his commander.  I mourn silently for both.  Unit NMB takes two shots directly into the turret.  He is still capable of movement, however slowly, and his main weapon is still functional but all of his targeting electronics are knocked out and his commander is grievously injured.  Tenchi once again orders me to target the orbiting ships and I seem to feel a great pleasure as I fire.

*****

Tenchi and Ryoko

*****

Tenchi winced as he saw Unit RYN die.  At least it had been quick and probably painless.  He hadn't gotten to know Darnau, Unit RYN's commander well, but he had talked to the young man several times and found him a likable person.  Once again he thought about how Lieutenant Soja was leaving his squad out to dry.  Tenchi was concentrating on the ships above and didn't see the rounds hit Ka'dithy's vehicle; it was several seconds before George's report of Nimby's damage struck home.  In shock, he ordered George to continue firing at the enemy then turned to Ryoko with real fear in his eyes for the first time.  Although he deeply felt the loss of Darnau and RYN, he'd grown close to Ka'dithy and the thought of her dying, alone and in pain, hurt him.

"Ryoko…" he moaned as the numbness of what had just happened sank into him.

"I'm on it."  She contacted Unit NMB and got a status report that contained both the vehicle and commander's condition.  "She's alive but badly injured; and radiation from the previous attack is leaking into the compartment."

"We've got to do something," he told her, his attention no longer on the battle.  Without other orders, George continued to fire at the orbiting ships, still scoring hits but not nearly enough of them.

Ryoko unbuckled herself from her seat.  "You need to stay here and defend the village, I'll see what I can do."  She teleported away.  Knowing that the ex-pirate would do her best to save his friend, Tenchi focused his attention back on eliminating the enemy. 

*****

Ryoko

*****

Ryoko appeared in what was left of Nimby's command compartment.  Damaged equipment threw sparks everywhere and the dim emergency lighting showed Ka'dithy still strapped into her seat, mercifully unconscious.  Ryoko spared her a cursory look then began to manually shut down Nimby's damaged systems.  Once she felt it was safe she took stock of what was left.  Main weapon, com system and automotive was about it besides the AI itself.  She looked around the compartment, blood was splattered all over the inside of the tiny space; it was obvious that the t'Dnal was more badly injured than she seemed at first.  Ryoko flipped the switch that should reactivate Unit NMB's internal audio circuit; she hoped it was still functional.

"Ok, Nimby, if you can hear me, tell me about your commander," she said.

"I have stabilized her," came the AI's weak and scratchy voice through the damaged system.  "Both of her legs were severed when the command console collapsed on them.  Her right eye has been penetrated by shrapnel and her right arm is also gone just below the shoulder.  My scans show some head trauma and she's lost a lot of blood.    This is in addition to several broken ribs and some internal injuries.  The medical functions built into her chair have stopped the bleeding and injected anesthetic and antibiotics to fight the pain and possible infection.  She needs a full hospital and soon if she's to survive."

"How about the radiation?" Ryoko asked, she herself was immune to most forms of it.

"Fairly low-level for now," the AI said.  "Not a danger if you can get her out within the next few minutes."

"Ok."  Ryoko bent down over the inert form.  "Can you still fight?" she asked, knowing what the answer would be from her damage assessment.

"No.  My main gun is operative but I can't target anything except through my close-in image receptors; useless in this fight.  Please take care of Ka'dithy Lady Ryoko."

_Geez, does everyone know? _ Ryoko wondered.  She sent her thoughts questing out into space, looking for the one being that might possibly help her now.  

"Miya!" came the reply.  _Ready when you are partner, what took you so long? _

With a grin Ryoko gathered Ka'dithy up in her arms and teleported away.

*****

George

*****

As I am the only vehicle firing at the moment I find myself the sole target of the enemy's bombardment.  Unit WHT has moved into another position and Unit NMB is in the process of doing so, albeit without his commander.  I cease firing when my ready reserve of frozen hydrogen pellets is exhausted.  My cryogenic facilities start the process to manufacture more, but during this period I am vulnerable to the starships remaining above.  The enemy lashes out with everything in his arsenal, energy weapons, nuclear and HE missiles and the penetrator projectiles.  Nothing seems to be able to touch me, it's as if I lead a charmed life.  All of them seem to just disappear several dozen meters before they strike.  I spend 1.001 seconds considering this then I activate my close-in scanners.  Wonder of wonders, I find myself sporting a set of Lighthawk Wings.  Seeking the source of this new phenomenon, I a trace their source and find that my commander is generating them.  This is a power that is not in my databanks; only a Royal Tree of the First, Second, or Third Generation has this ability.  To say that I am astounded is to put it mildly.

I inform my commander that while we are currently safe from enemy fire, I also cannot return fire through the Lighthawk Wings.  He smiles wickedly at my video pickup and I sense that he has a plan.

*****

Tenchi

*****

Tenchi grinned at George's 'eye'.  Reaching over to an auxiliary console he flipped a switch.  "Nimby, this is Corporal Masaki.  Can you hear me?"

"Affirmative," came the reply, cut with static.

"Your main gun is still working, right?"

"Yes, but I can't target anything."

Tenchi's grin grew wider.  "Can you accept targeting data from George?"

Nimby's voice grew excited.  "Yes.  Most certainly."

"Uh, Tenchi," came George's voice in an exaggerated stage whisper.  "His weapon isn't strong enough to take out a starship in one shot."

"It doesn't have to be," Tenchi replied.  "I just want them to keep their attention focused on us.  And who knows, he just might get lucky." 

*****

Ryoko

*****

Ryoko and Ka'dithy reappeared on Ryo-ohki's command deck.  The ex-pirate mentally ordered her ship to create a contour couch for the critically injured t'Dnal to be placed in.  The cabbit-ship complied and once the girl was as comfortable as Ryoko could make her, the cyan-haired beauty requested a full medical scan of Ka'dithy.  Ryo-ohki complied, but with reservations.

_I don't think I can help her, _ the cabbit said in Ryoko's mind.  _My facilities are pretty primitive and geared toward your metabolism, not a standard lifeform's. _

"I know," Ryoko said aloud.  "But do the best you can.  Tenchi'll never forgive me if I let her die without trying to save her."

Ryo-ohki whistled mentally as she scanned the t'Dnal.  _She's pretty bad off.  But whoever did the triage did a fine job, probably saved her life. _

Ryoko looked down at the once pretty face of Tenchi's friend, a face that was wracked with agony even in unconsciousness.  "Her combat vehicle did it," she said, reaching out to smooth back Ka'dithy's blood-soaked hair.  "I don't know if he'll make it either, he's pretty bad off too."  She looked toward the ship's main screen where the plot showed more enemy ships moving into the battle; several hundred little points of light were obvious.  "Damn.  We've got to stop them somehow."

_Ay-ohki and the Juraian fleet are on their way, _ Ryo-ohki told her.  _I called him the minute you called me.  They'll be here in just under three hours; we only have to hold out until then. _

"Right," Ryoko said with a wry smile.  "No problem for the team that busted into and back out of Jurai way back when."

_Shouldn't be, _ the cabbit replied, then "miya'd" audibly causing Ryoko to chuckle.

Ryoko felt a weak squeeze on her arm.  She looked back down to see that the t'Dnal's one remaining eye was open and watching her.  "Where…" Ka'dithy managed to whisper weakly.

Ryoko smiled gently.  "Shhh.  We're on Ryo-ohki.  Tenchi told me to watch over you and Nimby was pretty bad off.  Not that we're a whole lot better up here with the enemy's fleet coming at us."

"Can't feel m' legs," the t'Dnal managed.

Ryoko decided not to keep anything from the other woman.  "They're gone, just above the knees.  And your right arm and eye too."  Her smile widened.  "But don't worry, I know someone that can fix you right up.  She fixed up another friend of mine and all she had to work with was the brain."

"Hope she c'n fix m' legs," Ka'dithy said.  "They were one of m' best features."

"I dunno," Ryoko replied with a crooked grin.  "According to Tenchi, the rest of you ain't bad either."

Ka'dithy chuckled weakly.  "So thas it; y' brought me here to have y'r way wit' me."

This brought a laugh bubbling out of the pirate.  "Yeah, that's it exactly.  And in order to do that I'm gonna have Ryo-ohki here put you out for a while.  To spare you the embarrassment ya know.  Then I gotta go do some piratey stuff against these creeps."

"'k.  Give'm some f'r me too." Ka'dithy closed her eye.

"Ryo-ohki, put her out," Ryoko requested.

The cabbit complied, a general anesthetic flooding into Ka'dthy's battered body; but Ryo-ohki had reservations._  Done, but I can't keep her out forever; she'll be awake again before Washu gets here. _

"No she won't," Ryoko explained.  "Put her in stasis."

"Miya?!" Ryo-ohki let out in surprise.  _Stasis?  Oh, I understand.  Sure thing,, one stasis field coming up. _  A dome of mirror-bright silver formed over the now unconscious t'Dnal.  Although it wasn't visible to the occupants of the control cabin, the field even extended under Ka'dithy's chair.   A stasis field reflected everything; light, gravity, time… everything; nothing known to any technology could penetrate it and no time passed for anything placed within it.  Even if Ryo-ohki were destroyed before she cancelled the field, Ka'dithy would survive.  Theory even said that a stasis field could survive entry into a black hole.

"All right."  Ryoko rubber her hands together in anticipation as she took her place in Ryo-ohki's command chair.  "It's been a while since I really cut loose but…"  She reached out and placed her hands on the control globes.  "Ryo-ohki…  ATTACK!"

"MIYAAAAA!"

*****

George

*****

A new combatant has entered the arena.  My scanners pick up a smaller ship making micro-jumps through hyperspace, trying to sneak up on the enemy.  I cannot get a good reading on it as it appears to be a stealth vessel, but I can track it's energy signature when it enters and leaves hyperspace.  If this is what my commander had in mind it seems to be working.

I track the ship, about the size of a Juraian corvette, as it makes one final jump and is suddenly in amongst the enemy fleet.  I watch in amazement as the carnage begins.  The enemy is taken completely by surprise and tries to scatter his force.  The mystery vessel fires a plasma weapon much more powerful than my own and it pierces three ships.  I now recognize the energy signature of that weapon, I have seen it before, but that time, long ago, I was on the receiving end.  Ryo-ohki has arrived and Ryoko is now in her element.

Ryoko selects her targets with care, no indiscriminate firing this time.  Ship after ship is vaporized or holed.  But there are too many of them, even Ryoko can't hope to get them all.  It doesn't matter though, the surprise is total and the enemy tries to flee in panic, his return fire sporadic and ineffective in his retreat.  Ryo-ohki chases down the larger ships, letting the smaller vessels escape for now.  Curiously, none of them try to hyper away but merely move out of range of Ryo-ohki's weapons.  It is possible that the enemy has orders to take the planet at all costs, or perhaps they are awaiting reinforcements.  If it is the later it seems that they have been abandoned in place, because no help is forthcoming.

Ryo-ohki may have taken the enemy fleet by surprise, but they still outnumber her several dozen to one and when they realize that I fear it is the end of Ryoko.  It never happens; perhaps they too recognize what they face.  I watch, fascinated, as Ryo-ohki, no longer attempting to wreak havoc on the enemy, seems content to merely herd them from place to place.  She seems to be waiting for something.  Or someone.  Every so often she'll fire on a ship and occasionally the enemy's return fire touches her.  I wince mentally whenever this happens because I know it must be hurting her.

*****

Three hours latter a slightly singed cabbit-ship and a very banged up Space Pirate met the Juraian fleet as they moved in to take charge and mop up the remainder of the enemy.

"Well, it looks like you two gave a good accounting of yourselves," said Washu's image from the main screen

"We tried," Ryoko responded, hugging a badly bruised left arm to her chest while her self-healing power repaired it.  "Why didn't you build any restraints into my chair?  I kept falling out every time we took a hit."

The little scientist snorted.  "I never planned on Ryo-ohki fighting a fleet action, she's more of a hit and run type."

"Yeah, I guess," Ryoko smirked.  "By the way, I've got a badly injured t'Dnal over here in stasis.  She's a good friend of mine and Tenchi's and I need you to do your best for her."

"A t'Dnal eh?" Washu tapped her chin, her thoughts on just how Ryo-ohki had learned to generate a stasis field; the ability certainly wasn't in her specs.  "Just how good a friend?" she asked off-hand.

Ryoko jumped up out of her chair, her pain forgotten.  "Not _that_ good, _mother_."

Washu held up her hands at her daughter's angry response.  "Ok, ok.  Just checking.  Besides, Tenchi told us all about her when he was on Jurai.  Now, the t'Dnal are a standard humanoid type so there shouldn't be any problem. One of the ships in the fleet is a fully equipped hospital ship."

"And when you get her all fixed up I want my own ears back." Ryoko demanded.

Washu shrugged. "Whenever you're ready."

"Heh.  Right _now_ would be good, but first I'm gonna go find my Tenchi.  He says he's all right but I won't believe it until I see it for myself."

Washu was suddenly pushed aside and Ayeka's face filled the screen.  "_Your Tenchi?_  Not without me, you pirate.  You've had him alone for weeks."

"Me?" Ryoko exclaimed, a look of mock indignation on her face.  "I couldn't even let him know who I was!  I didn't know he already knew."

"He knew?" Ayeka was taken aback.  "I wonder how?"

"Yeah, I wonder.  I'm not the one who blurts out secrets in moments of passion."

The future Empress's eyes narrowed.  "What do you mean, Ryoko?"

"Ask Tenchi when we find him.  You'd better get over here because I'm leaving in two minutes whether you're here or not."  Ayeka's image blinked out and Ryoko chuckled.  "Gotcha."

*****

Ryoko and Ayeka walked together in silence through the remains of the Mau village.  Fortunately only the upper structures were severely damaged; most of the underground abodes had survived intact.  None of the townsfolk had been killed although several had been injured when a stray penetrator round hit their shelter.  The girls found a dirty and tired Tenchi seated on a piece of rubble talking to Dreuma, starting plans for rebuilding.  He looked up at their approach, a smile splitting his smudged face.  "Ryoko!" He jumped up and hugged the pirate.  "I'm glad you're all right.  How's Ka'dithy?"

Ryoko squeezed him right back.  "She's in surgery right now, Mom says she'll probably make a complete recovery after regen and therapy.  I'm sorry I can't say the same about Nimby, he's just so much scrap after your last brilliant plan.  The AI's intact though."

"Damn, maybe we can salvage him if we can't repair him."  He turned to Ayeka and gathered her into his arms.  "You guys got here just in time."

Ayeka reached up and gently wiped some of the dirt from her husband's face.  "Thank Ryoko and Ryo-ohki for that, they're the ones that called us.  Oh Tsunami, I've missed you both; you and Ryoko."  Tears started to form in the princess' red eyes.

"And we missed you too," Tenchi kissed her then looked up at his other wife who stood there fuming while Ayeka was getting all the attention.  "Didn't we Ryoko?" he asked with a wink.

"Uh, yeah, sure we did," Ryoko responded.  She made a rude gesture to Tenchi that the princess didn't catch.  Tenchi laughed, making Ayeka wonder just what was going on.

"Oh, by the way," the princess said, extracting herself from Tenchi's arms.  "You'll never guess who's in command of the fleet."

Ryoko groaned; she had a real good idea who it was.  "Don't tell me; it's your mother."

Ayeka smiled.  "Yes, it is indeed.  And she'll be happy to see you Ryoko, she's invited us all to dinner."

This time Tenchi groaned in tune with Ryoko then all three broke into laughter.  Dreuma watched the three reunited lovers, a look of confusion on his dog-like face.  Hearing Ayeka's laugh, he wondered if it wouldn't be wise to retreat to a safe distance, if there were such a thing.

*****

To be continued…

*****

Author's Notes

Darn, this one just wouldn't stop.  I thought I was done but since ff.net's been down I decided to add a bit and add and add.  Well, I still hope you enjoy it, even if it is twice as long as one of my normal chapters (or what passes for normal for me anyway).

Ryoko didn't use her Lighthawk Wings on Ryo-ohki during the battle because then she couldn't fire at the enemy, much like George.  Ryoko is not a defensive fighter; she prefers to always be on the attack.

More info on the attackers in the next chapter.

*****

Review Responses

Dennisud – It's going rather well.  I haven't had a chance to finish reading the last chapter of your story, but I will soon.  Sasami and Mihoshi may yet reappear in this story but they're minor, very minor characters in it.

Smack54 - sigh  I haven't finished reading your story either, shame on me.  Ayeka as Merlaj and Ryoko as Ayeka?   Never even thought of that.  Oh what a twisted web we weave…

Ministry Agent – It's been quite a while since I read Starship Troopers (like 25 or 30 years) and the movie was, well let's just say it was and leave it at that.  As you can see, I added a tiny bit to what you've already read.  And I didn't make it in a week, more like two or two and a half.

Jon Cook – George sounds like whatever you want him to sound like (except female).  I picture a fairly deep voice with no accent; he's a computer, he speaks all his programmed languages perfectly in whatever dialect his commander wishes.  If he must have an accent, it would be Juraian, whatever that sounds like.

The Dragonbard – Tenchi's no idiot even though he acts clueless occasionally.  It seems to be a defense mechanism of some sort.  As to how the Mau know about him, well I couldn't find a good place to fit it into the story but even though they're out in the middle of nowhere they're still a part of the Empire and have the technology to get news broadcasts.  And unlike a certain Lieutenant, they actually watch them.  It's very boring on the edge of nothing; even G Gundam would be interesting out there. (Sorry if I offended anyone, I could have said Dragonball Z…)

Negative-Z – Heh.  As if my writing wasn't already in enough trouble.

Thundergod – I thought about grav chutes or static discharge lines but decided against them for various reasons.  KP?  I have dishes and catbox duty four days a week now.

Chaotic Blues – No, as you can see Tenchi kept a lid on Ryoko.  I still have plans for Dreasu though.

Wharpt – Minimum enlistment time in the Juraian Army?  Hmm…  Let's say two years.  Juraian years that is.

Taxzombie – Hopefully I'll have more on the enemy next chapter when I start to tie up the loose ends.  Although I have their basics down I'm still working on a couple of possible angles.  Let's just say that they aren't mammals or reptiles.

Alighthawk – I wanted to take them to Disney World on their honeymoon but I've never been there so I wouldn't know where to start.  I'm still haunted by that image I had of Ryoko and Ayeka standing next to Goofy and wearing Mickey Mouse ears while Tenchi takes a picture.  Creating a made-up place is much easier than using a real location that one's never seen.

Phillip – Here's more, but I'm sorry to say that this story is drawing to a close in the next chapter (or possibly the one after, I may do an epilogue).

*****

BobR 

1/3/2003


	8. Resolution

Disclaimer

Tenchi and all associated characters are the property of AIC and Pioneer LDC.  I don't own any rights to them.  Any other characters are property of their respective copyright holders, not me.

*****

Duty Calls

Chapter 8

Resolution

*****

The first thing that Ryoko had done when she and Ayeka were alone in the quarters assigned the royal trio was to grill the princess on the children.  The ex-pirate had chuckled evilly when she heard that her daughter had learned to teleport, albeit over extremely short distances.  Ayeka had managed to wipe the grin off Ryoko's face by reminding her that closed or even locked doors wouldn't keep little Keiko from finding her mom, no matter what activity Ryoko was involved in or with whom she was involved in it with.  Ryoko silently vowed to have Washu make a portable shield that would at least cover her, Tenchi and Ayeka's bedroom back home.  There were some things she didn't want to have to explain to a four-year-old.

A bevy of Mau girls presented the pair with a selection of outfits.  Ayeka chose one that resembled traditional Juraian garb, kimono-like with muted but complimentary colors.  It fit her well and she complimented the young girl who had brought it and helped her put it on.  Ryoko picked an outfit that wouldn't have looked amiss for one of her nights out with the girls.  Low cut and form-hugging, even Ayeka admitted aloud that it made the pirate look good.  _For a woman of 5000 anyway._  This made Ryoko sneer and comment that Ayeka wished _she'd_ look this good when she was 5000 years old.  In fact, Ryoko teased, Ayeka probably wished she looked this good _now_, at 700.  Ayeka snorted at this and countered that she was more than happy with the way she looked.  Ryoko chortled and replied that that was probably a good thing since no one else was happy with it.  Sparks literally began to fly between the two and the Mau women beat a hasty retreat lest they get caught in the crossfire.  Once the room was cleared, the two women broke down laughing and fell into each other's arms.

"That was fun," Ryoko sniffed, tears running down her face.

"Yes," agreed Ayeka, standing up straight and smoothing out some wrinkles in her outfit.  "I hope the poor dears didn't think we were really going to fight."

Ryoko turned back and forth in front of a mirror, making sure everything was still tucked into place.  "Ah, who cares," she stated.  "It'll give 'em something to tell their grandchildren.  'I once saw the Empress and her consort go at it.  There was blood everywhere.'"

"Indeed," the princess said, giggling.  "Shall we go to dinner?"

"We shall."  Ryoko held out her arm, which Ayeka took.  The Mau, who hadn't gone any farther than the hallway, were astonished as the two walked off as if nothing had happened.

*****

Tenchi walked into the banquet room to find Misaki and the two Mau leaders already there and deep in conversation about Juraian aid in rebuilding the colony.  At the queen's request he was in full dress uniform with the one exception being the signet of a prince of the Royal House prominently displayed on his sash.  He felt a bit awkward wearing it, but Misaki had requested.

He unobtrusively took a seat as indicated by one of the Mau servants on duty just for that purpose.  He thanked the woman as she scooted the chair under him and when asked if he needed anything he politely requested a glass of water.  He then turned his attention to the conversation taking place a few seats farther up the table.  He'd known for years that there was more to his mother-in-law than met the eye and he listened in rapt wonder as she shrewdly negotiated with Dreuma on just how much of the rebuilding Jurai would be responsible for.

A few minutes after Tenchi was seated, Ayeka and Ryoko entered the room together, arm in arm and giggling like schoolgirls about something.  They both immediately shut up when Misaki gave them a stern look.  Ayeka meekly took her seat next to the queen, as befitted the future Empress, while Ryoko took the seat on the other side of Tenchi.  Tenchi had to remove her hand from his leg several times when he felt it exploring too far up.  He leaned forward and whispered something in his cyan haired wife's ear that made her smile wickedly.  She turned and gave him a quick peck on the cheek with an expression that promised much more to come later.  Ryoko then leaned back and reached behind her husband to give the princess a poke that made her start and almost fall out of her seat. 

Flustered by Ryoko's attack, Ayeka caught her breath and frowned.  She'd already agreed to give Ryoko some time alone with their husband, since the pirate had assured her that nothing had happened the whole time she'd been with him; but she was also determined not to be left out entirely.  She loved their husband too, but she had to admit that she'd also missed _Ryoko_ during the time they'd been gone.  She mentally promised herself that Ryoko would not get the better of this opportunity even if she had to tie the cyan haired woman down herself.  Now _there_ was an idea worth considering.  Maybe she could get Tenchi to help her, or better yet, get both Tenchi and Ryoko tied up at the same time.  She wondered why she'd never thought of it before; after all, she _was_ Juraian royalty.  She started to laugh at the idea.  "Ohohohohoho…"  The room was suddenly deadly quiet and Ayeka looked around to find everyone, including to waitstaff eyeing her suspiciously.  She turned bright red and scrunched down in her chair trying to make herself as small and inconspicuous as possible.

Ryoko wondered just what the princess had found so funny.  She didn't think anyone had noticed her attempts to get a reaction out of Tenchi, not that she really cared.  It was expected of her anyway.  The ex-pirate tried to get Ayeka's attention through the tentative mental link they sometimes shared, but found Ayeka's mind closed tight.  Whatever it had been must have been _really_ embarrassing, in which case it must have concerned either Tenchi or herself.  Ryoko found _herself_ starting to blush as she considered what it might be.  She quickly fought it down.

Tenchi, who had been busy fending off Ryoko's probing hand up until this point while trying to follow the conversation between Masaki, Dreuma and Remaur, wondered what Ayeka was thinking about as well.  Whatever it was, it boded no good for him, or more probably, Ryoko.

The dinner itself went smoothly, with Washu and the two cabbits joining them shortly before the first course was served.  Tenchi and Ryoko had, of course, tasted Mau cooking during the days before the battle.  Washu said she remembered eating it before too but Misaki and Ayeka were surprised and pleased with the variety of dishes presented to them.  Ayeka, in fact, made something of a pig of herself, an event that even Misaki couldn't overlook.  The Queen mildly reprimanded her eldest daughter, reminding her that she hadn't been raised that way.  Ayeka blamed it on the cutthroat competition for food with Ryoko at the Masaki dinner table.  This earned her a glare from the pirate, which the princess returned with equal ferocity, daring Ryoko to deny it.  Ryoko backed down, but not without a low growl that startled the two Mau leaders who weren't yet quite sure of the relationship between the two girls.

Conversation during the meal avoided anything remotely concerned with the battle.  Washu had told them all earlier in the day that she'd inform them of the progress of her research into why it had happened after dinner.  They took her at her work and the small talk was mainly confined to how the children were doing and the approaching harvest from the crops on Tamar IV.  Dreuma told them that harvest time was a great celebration and he invited them all back to enjoy it with the Mau.  Tenchi, Ryoko and Ayeka expressed an interest but Washu and Misaki begged off, stating that they both had too much on their plates back home to take any extra time this year.  Misaki suggested that Tenchi bring Sasami along with them if they did come back and Ayeka seconded it with Ryoko nodding in agreement.

*****

After dinner, Dreuma led the small party to a comfortable room where Washu could give her lecture about why she thought Tamar IV had been attacked, and just who or what had done the attacking.  The two cabbits had been enticed to stay in the dining area by the other Mau, convinced by the sudden appearance of two large bowls of cut carrots.  They weren't really interested in Washu's tale anyway, Ryo-ohki knew everything she needed to know about the enemy already: they were a whole lot of fun to chase and easy to kill once cornered.

Everyone settled back, Ryoko, Tenchi and Ayeka on a couch together, Misaki and the two Mau in large cushiony chairs.  Washu stood at the front of the room, the pair of tiny glasses perched on her button nose giving her an academic look.  She summoned her holographic laptop and set it on a low table in front of her before beginning.

"To start with," she began.  "There were no survivors amongst the alien crews."

"Wait a second!" Ryoko cut in.  "I _know_ there were survivors.  They were still trying to get away from Ryo-ohki when the Juraian fleet showed up."

"Uh huh," Washu agreed.  "And once we did show up they knew they were in a hopeless situation."  She smiled at the Queen before continuing.  "So they dumped their computer data and killed themselves.  Quite messily in some cases."

"All of them?" wondered Tenchi.

"Yup.  The preferred method seemed to be a small caliber shot to the head, but there were also laser burns, stabbings and vacuum exposure; the crews vented their ships to space.  We even recovered remains from inside the fusion reactors.  Not much left of those I might say.  I can tell you a bit about the race though.  They aren't mammalian, not like us anyway."

"Reptilian?" asked Ayeka, trying to run a hand through Tenchi's hair.  Ryoko saw it and swatted it away.  The princess reached over and bopped Ryoko on the head before continuing.  "There a few reptilian species allied with Jurai, some even have mammalian characteristics like live birth and nursing their young."

"Most don't though," Misaki countered.  "_Are_ they reptilian Washu?"

"Avian.  Vestigal feathers, hollow bones.  Definitely bipedal though, and flightless.  No mammalian characteristics at all and we have samples of both male and female.  Egg layers too, by the physiology.  They don't seem to differentiate between the sexes when it comes to combat roles either.  Much like Juraians in that respect."

"That would tend to explain the flocking action when Ryoko was chasing them.  Anything else?" Misaki asked.

Washu glanced at her laptop.  "Like what?  Their world has a lower gravity than either Jurai or Earth.  They're about our size, but somewhat weaker.  Tamar IV would be a bit heavy for them but not as much so as Jurai."

"All very interesting," commented Remaur.  "But why did they attack us?"

"I.." Washu began to answer when a sound like small bells softly ringing came from the back of the room.  Everyone's attention turned in that direction and a slender form in formal robes shimmered into existence.

"Perhaps I can explain that, sister," Tokimi told the shocked group.

Washu stared at her sister.  "Ah, Tokimi.  All right then, explain."

"Who is this person?" Dreuma asked Misaki out of the side of his mouth as the goddess began her explanation.

"Lady Tokimi, one of Tsunami's elder sisters," replied the Queen the same way.  "Now shhh.  I want to hear this."

"They call themselves the Ytru," Tokimi was saying.  "As you may have determined, they are from outside this galaxy."

"And just how do you know about them?" Washu wondered.

Tokimi smiled benignly at her sister.  "It's your fault Washu.  You're the one that told me I needed to find a hobby in this dimension.  The Ytru are _my_ hobby, much like the Juraians are Tsunami's and you have your science."

Washu's eyes narrowed.  "So _you_ sent them."

"No, that I did not.  This particular group left long before I came along."

Misaki glowered at Tokimi, totally unafraid of the goddess.  "But you were aware of them and did nothing to stop them when they attacked," she pointed out.

"Yes.  But unlike Tsunami I choose not to _directly_ interfere with the actions of my people.  Besides," Tokimi turned her smile on Tenchi and Ryoko.  "I knew that my niece and her husband were here.  Together or separate they had more than enough power to stop the invasion."

"So why did they attack?" Ryoko asked her aunt.  "They could've made peaceful contact."

"Unfortunately it's not their way," the goddess explained.  "They see all other intelligent species as competition and try to eliminate them.  They take samples first to learn the foe's weaknesses and then when they feel they are ready, they attack.  The Ytru have been very successful with this strategy."

"Until now."

"Yes," Tokimi agreed.  "But the Ytru homeworld doesn't know of the loss.  I will inform them through an oracle.  They will mourn."

"And then seek revenge."  Washu glared at her sister through hooded eyes.

Tokimi held up her hand in defense.  "You misunderstand.  I am trying to steer them away from such actions.  This is _my_ experiment in progress, my goal is to help evolve them, not eliminate them."  She chuckled.  "Besides, it would take them years to gather another fleet and decades for that fleet to reach here."

Washu nodded and relaxed her expression.

"But now I must go," Tokimi informed them.  "I must take word of this defeat to the Ytru and observe the reaction.  It will help me determine my next course of action.  I give my word that the Ytru will not bother you again until they are ready to interact peaceably with others."  Tokimi faded away to the sound of soft bells.

There was silence in the room for several moments following the goddess' departure.  Remaur was the first to break it.  "Was that really Tsunami's sister?" he asked the Queen.  Unlike the Juraians, the Mau did not worship Tsunami; they had their own pantheon of gods and goddesses.   And in the Mau beliefs the gods did not interact directly with lesser beings.  But as a people they were understanding and tolerant of other's beliefs.

"It was indeed," replied Masaki.

"She called Professor Washu her sister and Princess Ryoko her niece."

Misaki glanced at Washu, who imperceptibly shook her head in the negative.  The Queen sighed.  "Who can guess the motives or reasonings of the gods?"  The Mau hmmm'ed and nodded in understanding.

There was some minor discussion of the Ytru and if they in fact constituted a menace to the Empire.  The consensus, based on what Tokimi had told them, was that they did not.  The decision was made not to pursue the matter any farther unless there was another incursion.  Dreuma stood up and Remaur joined him.  Both bowed deeply to the Queen and the others.  "We two have much to discuss about rebuilding and some other things so we'll take our leave now.  Enjoy the rest of your evening Your Majesties."  As they left, the two Mau leaders could be heard arguing down the hallway.

"It seems Tokimi has a convert," Ayeka giggled.

Washu's head snapped around.  "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Didn't you see the look in Remaur's eyes whenever he looked at her?  He believes in her _and_ I think he's fallen in love." 

Washu chuckled.  "A new priest of the goddess Tokimi, eh?  Well, she could do worse I suppose.  Remaur seems to be an honorable being."

There was a sudden commotion outside the door.  It was slammed open and Lieutenant Soja stormed into the room.

"_Corporal _Masaki!" he bellowed.  "Just what in Tsunami's name is going on here?  I ordered you placed under house arrest and here I find you in a room with local hussies."  He looked at Tenchi and his eyes narrowed when he saw the crest on Tenchi's uniform.  "And impersonating a Prince of Jurai.  By the Space Trees, you'll do hard time for this."

Misaki giggled behind her hand.  "Um, excuse me Lieutenant… Soja, isn't it?  Do you know who I am?"

Soja turned his wrath on the Queen.  "No, nor do I care, you're probably… just… anoth…"  He trailed off and gulped when he recognized Misaki.  "Your Highness," he bowed deeply.  "Forgive me, but this boy…"

"Who just happens to be my son-in-law _and_ the grandson of Prince Yosho."

Soja staggered backwards.  "Your…son-in-law?  Prince Yosho's _grandson_?"

Misaki was enjoying herself immensely.  "Yes.  And allow me to introduce my daughter, the future Empress of Jurai, Ayeka.  Her husband, Prince Tenchi I believe you already know.  Oh, and lest I forget," Misaki winked at the trio on the couch.  "My daughter-in-law, the former Space Pirate Ryoko and her mother, the scientist Washu."  

Washu bowed politely.

"Ryoko?" Soja squeaked.  "As in Demon Ryoko?"  He stared at the ex-pirate who smiled back, baring both fangs.  Soja paled as he recognized Merlaj's features on the woman in front of him.

"Hi there," Ryoko purred.

Soja's attention shifted to the princess.  Ryoko was forgotten as he basked in the radiance that was Ayeka.  He fell down on his knees and touched his forehead to the floor.  "My Princess.  I didn't recognize you with your hair that color.  My apologies."

"It seems that my daughter has a worshiper too," mumbled Misaki under her breath.

"Mother?"  Ayeka looked at Misaki, her demonic markings starting to glow beneath her skin.

Misaki smiled sweetly.  "Yes.  Prince Tenchi, please stay here with me; I think your wives can properly _explain_ to the good Lieutenant where he's erred."

Ryoko cracked her knuckles.  "Heh.  With great pleasure, _mother-in-law_.  Princess, shall we…?"

"Oh, by all means Ryoko my dear," said Ayeka, her marks clearly visible now.  "We _hussies_ need to stick together."  She stood up and pointed at the doorway.  Soja got to his feet and meekly did as he was ordered, looking back over his shoulder at Misaki and hoping for a reprieve.  The Queen shooed him on with her hand and a smile.  Ayeka followed him out of the room.

"Back in a minute Tenchi."  Ryoko gave her husband a peck on the cheek then faded from view.

Tenchi smiled as he heard the hissing sound of Ryoko's energy sword out in the hallway.  The soft chimes as Ayeka's mini-logs appeared caused his grin to widen even more.  Soja was definitely going to get the full treatment.  Washu was grinning from ear-to-ear and even Misaki smiled as the Lieutenant's pleas for mercy cut through the other sounds.  His screams faded as he scampered away, looking for any avenue to escape the two demonic visions that menaced him.  When he could no longer be heard in the distance, Ayeka and Ryoko reentered the room, pleased looks on both their beautiful faces.

"Clean up in Hallway 4," Ayeka chuckled as the door closed behind them.  The glow from her forehead and cheeks slowly faded as her irritation drained away.

"You didn't…" Tenchi gasped in astonishment.

Ryoko grinned evilly, throwing an arm around the princess and squeezing her tight.  "No, although Ayeka here wanted too.  He's ok.  He did sort of, um, lose bodily control for a minute though."

"Oh good," Misaki returned Ryoko's grin with one just as evil.  "I have plans for the our Lieutenant."

"Oh?" Tenchi raised an eyebrow at his mother-in-law.

"Yes indeed.  I'm going to see that he gets a promotion."

"_A promotion?_" three astonished voices cried out in unison.

Misaki chuckled and bobbed her head.  "Yep, and a desk job.  In Supply.  At the Palace on Jurai."

"But Mother," Ayeka clenched her delicate fists, the glow of her markings starting to return.  "A promotion?  _And_ assignment to the Palace…"  She struggled against the pirate's grip.

"He _is_ a member of a noble family, however minor," the Queen explained.  "And unlike _some_ people," she eyed Tenchi speculatively, then reached out and patted him on the head.  "_He_ didn't disobey a direct order.  But I really don't want him in charge of anything important ever again and that's why I'm assigning him to the Palace as well.  I can keep an eye on him better there.  And so can somebody else."  Misaki snapped her fingers and the door opened once more.  In floated Ka'dithy, still heavily bandaged, on a hoverchair.

The t'Dnal gave a weak wave and inclined her head toward Misaki.  "I would bow Your Highnesses, but…" she moved her good arm, indicating the hoverchair.

Misaki waved her into the room so the door could close.  "That's quite all right my dear.  You probably don't remember, but we've met before.  I visited with your mothers once during a trade conference.  They introduced me to all their daughters; you, as I recall, came up to about my knees at the time."  The Queen tapped her chin in apparent thought.  "That makes you almost family in my eyes."  

Misaki paused dramatically and took a deep breath.

"And so, I have a proposition for you, one that I think you'll find most interesting and I wanted to give it to you in front of your friends."

"Go on," said Ka'dithy, eyeing the assembled group suspiciously.

The Juraian Queen settled herself back into her seat, the look on her face and her relaxed position reminding Ayeka of her grandmother Seto.  "I want you for the Royal Guard," Misaki said calmly.  "You've proven your loyalty to the Royal Family, almost with your life.  And Washu says you'll make a full recovery after the regen treatments and therapy."

"Yep," the scientist agreed.  "She'll be good as new."

Ka'dithy hung her head.  "I'm sorry Your Majesty, but I thought you had to be an officer to even be considered for the Guard.  I'm just a grunt soldier."

Misaki dismissed her concern with a lofty wave.  "Oh, you're far from just that; after all, I know your lineage.  Of course the position _is_ dependent on your passing Officer Candidate School.  And if OCS is a problem then, well, I am the Queen.  I can make you a noble if I want to and that ought to be good for, oh, say a Captain's rank in the army at least."

"I…I don't know what to say," Ka'dithy looked up, her one-eyed gaze moving from person to person as if judging their reactions to Misaki's offer.  Ayeka's expression was one of mild pain, she was still being held tightly by Ryoko after all, while Tenchi and Ryoko both had huge grins spread across their faces.

"Say you accept.  Trust me on this, I've known her longer than you have," Tenchi told the t'Dnal in a stage whisper.

"All right then, I accept."

Misaki clapped her hands together and smiled.  "Oh wonderful.  You'll have such fun, the annual Guard picnic, the parties.  Did I mention that you'd be convalescing at Tenchi's house on Earth?"

"_WHAT?_" Ayeka and Ryoko exclaimed as one.

"Mother…" Ayeka finally managed to struggle free from the shocked Ryoko.

"Stop, Ayeka," the Queen held out her hand, palm first.  "It's not as odd as it sounds."

"But she's not even human, how will we explain…" Ryoko managed to get out.

Misaki turned her attention to her daughter-in-law.  "Neither are you or Ryo-ohki, nor, strictly speaking, are Mihoshi or even Ayeka."  Ryoko shut up, the truth of the Queen's words hitting close to home.

"But still…" Ayeka started to argue.

Misaki silenced her with a gesture.  "I want her under Washu's supervision while she's healing.  And I want Yosho to start teaching her Juraian combat methods; who better to learn them from except the master himself?"

Ka'dithy, who had remained silent while they were discussing her future, now spoke up.  "I don't want to be an imposition.  If it's going to cause problems…"

Tenchi laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.  "I've learned that there's no problem that we can't work around."  He looked at Ryoko and Ayeka.  Ryoko nodded stiffly and the princess gave a tentative smile and held out her hands to the other woman.

"Friends are always welcome in our home," Ayeka said, taking the t'Dnal's good hand in both of hers.  "And Mother is right, there's no better place in the galaxy for you to recover and learn."

Ryoko stepped over and put her hand on top of Tenchi's, still on Ka'dithy's shoulder.  "I'm sorry," she said.  "Of course you're welcome."  "Just keep away from Tenchi," she muttered.

Misaki slapped both hands to her knees and stood up.  "It's settled then.  Oh, there is one more thing…  Washu, if you would?"  The scientist nodded and left the room.

"It seems that there is another criteria for being a member of the Guard.  You must have a partner that you trust implicitly."  The door opened and Washu stepped back in followed by a Juraian Log Guardian with a green symbol etched across its body.  "Guardian Ka'dithy, I would like you to meet your partner."

"Hello, Ka'dithy," said Nimby's voice from within the log's form.  "I'm pleased to hear that you will be all right and that we will be working together still."

Ka'dithy's mouth dropped open, as did Tenchi's and Ryoko's.  "Nimby?  Is it really you in there?" she asked in a quivering voice.

"Indeed it is I.  Lady Washu gave me this body when Queen Misaki suggested to her that you would make a fine Royal Guardian."  

Ka'dithy guided her chair over to the Guardian and ran her hand down its smooth wooden body, her eyes filling with tears.  She turned back to the others, smiling through the streaks running down her bandaged face.  "But did you have to make him sound so _formal_?"

*****

To be concluded

*****

Author's Notes.

One more chapter to go and then it's done. wipes brow  Phew.

Oh, and lest I forget (again), you should read _What is Forgiveness_ by Meekachu.  It's quite good.  In fact, one of the reasons this was so late is because I was enjoying working on that piece with her instead of working on my own.

*****

Review Responses.

Dennisud – No, actually not a lot to cover after this one.  Just a couple of things to tie up.  (NOT Tenchi and Ryoko!)

Thundergod – Football – bleah.  Ryoko's a bit jealous, yes.  But she'll get her time with Tenchi and get over it.

Smack54 – It was one of the longer ones, yes.  No, Misaki and Funaho's cabbits are still on Jurai, with the kiddies.

Wharpt – Space support for an armored column?  Sure, armor today uses air support in the form of Apaches and A-10s (do they still use those?).  Besides, taking on a battle fleet with the super tanks is like taking on a naval force with current armor.  It _could_ be done, if they were close enough, but there are better ways of dealing with it.  

Nimby's up and running again and Soja's been dealt with properly.  I was originally going to have Merlaj tell Tenchi she was a Romulan, but that would've given the game away too soon.

Ministry Agent – I… I really can't come up with anything for your review because you've said it all.  Damn, you've got me speechless again.  It seems to be becoming a habit of yours.  Thanks for the suggestions by the way.  Even though you're not a pre-reader (I don't really have one), I valued your input.

Crion – No one else saw the Wings, all the others close enough were either out of combat or too busy fighting.  Besides, who and what Tenchi is is not a secret anymore.

Negative-Z – It seems to have worked, you got your next piece out.

Blackbird – "The only good Gundam is a dead Gundam", that's my motto.  Well, one of them anyway.  Another is "If it doesn't fit, get a bigger hammer".  I don't expect reviews every chapter.  Sure, I'm happy to have them (wink, wink), but they really aren't required to keep me going.  Caffeine seems to do that ok.  Particle cannon are a sci-fi standard, not just in anime.  One can hardly have a battle without them.

DragonBard – I seem to recall that the Wings can be used for either defense or attack (mainly for defense.)  I also seem to recall that Tenchi's "shield" disappeared when he formed the sword.  Remember, Kagato did manage to cut him but he healed almost instantly.

Washu saved Kiyone of course, way back in _Partners Reunited_.  Put her brain in a body built by Mishima Heavy Industries (Nuku Nuku).  Of course it was Washu-modified slightly first.

Taxzombie – Not insects either, although I was considering it for a while.  I'm not sure I'll be using Ka'dithy again in a different story but I'm keeping her around just in case.  And the Lieutenant?  It's the "or" option.

Phillip – Thank you for the compliment.  If you read between the lines you'll see that Washu was the one that _created_ the tanks, many, many years before.

Vsdefender – NOW all the pieces are together, except one or possibly two and that's for next time.

Priest – Nice to hear from you again, you don't seem to be around much anymore.

Nutzoide – Looking back, yep they were a teeny-tiny bit OOC.  But I'm not going to go back and change it.  Anyone can use the t'Dnal if they want to; I have no problem with it at all.

If I've forgotten to reply to anyone that sent me an email about this story, I apologize.  I try to respond to everyone, but to make sure you get a response in the next chapter, leave a review on ff.net.  My profile accepts anonymous reviews as well if you don't want to sign in or don't have an account.  Criticism is always welcome and sometimes even acted upon, flames will be happily ignored.

*****

BobR

2/7/2002


	9. Goodbyes

Disclaimer

Tenchi and all associated characters are the property of AIC and Pioneer LDC.  I don't own any rights to them.  Any other characters are property of their respective copyright holders, not me.

*****

Duty Calls

Chapter 9

Goodbyes

*****

It was a few days after Washu's lecture and Tokimi's unexpected appearance and things were settling back to what passed for normal in the Mau enclave.  At least as normal as they could be with several members of the Juraian Royal Family in temporary residence.  Even Soja had managed to calm down, although he went out of his way to avoid either of Tenchi's wives and when he did encounter one of them he usually turned and went in the other direction; an action not lost upon the Queen, who was having him watched closely, albeit surreptitiously.  Ryoko and Ayeka's reactions were just as interesting.  Ryoko tended to ignore the Lieutenant; in her opinion he'd gotten his just punishment, while Ayeka glared at him as if he were prey and had even been observed stalking the poor man on occasion.  All-in-all Misaki was being royally entertained by the reports and images she was receiving.

Washu had retreated to the one of the agricultural labs converted for her use to continue her research into the Ytru technology.  She also managed to find the time to monitor Ka'dithy's regen and therapy, but the Juraians took care of most of that.  Ryoko was thrilled when Washu somehow found the time to fix her ears.  She was so happy that she'd even forgotten to bicker with the princess for a few hours.  Tenchi was happy as well.  Tired and sore, but happy.  Ayeka had been as good as her word and, with a great deal of good-natured grumbling, had left her two spouses alone for a few nights so that Ryoko could reacquaint herself with their husband.

But it was not all fun and games with Tenchi and Ryoko.  The day that they would all leave for Jurai was rapidly approaching and they had one more task to perform by mutual agreement.  A task that neither was looking forward to.

*****

Ryoko and Tenchi walked out hand-in-hand to where George still sat in the field, his main gun pointed skyward and his sensors scanning for any other starships that might show up uninvited.

"Open up George," Tenchi called out as they neared the giant combat machine.

George had been watching their approach and snickered through his external speakers.  "I don't think I should do that Prince Tenchi, you're not my commander any more."  But the hatch on the side of his turret opened anyway and the boarding ladder popped out from the hull.  Tenchi let go of his wife's hand and reached for the bottom rung to pull himself up.

Ryoko noticed that several of the rungs were missing, probably welded into their recesses by near misses during the battle.  "C'mon Tenchi, this is quicker."  She grabbed her husband and flew up to the opening.

Entering the fighting compartment, Tenchi took his accustomed seat in the command chair while Ryoko sat in her old position at the com panel.  "I guess this is goodbye George," Tenchi said, the pain obvious in his voice.  "I hope you treat your next Commander as well as you treated me."

"Hah!" the AI chortled.  "Then you haven't heard."  Tenchi and Ryoko both looked puzzled.

"Heard what, you metal monstrosity?" Ryoko asked, giving the video pickup a stern look.  "Tenchi and I have been rather, um, _busy_ lately."

"I'll just bet you have, I could hear you all the way out here," George complained.  Ryoko snickered, Tenchi turned slightly red and sighed in exasperation.  "But," the AI went on as if his embarrassing comment about certain Juraian Royalty was no big deal.  "I'm surprised Queen Misaki didn't mention it; after all, it's very important; to me anyway.  I don't know though, maybe she didn't say anything for a reason.  Still, you are Royalty and you were my crew so I find it a bit odd…"

"WHAT?" cried the pirate.  "What are we supposed to know?  Or not?"  She threatened George's com panel with an orange plasma ball.

"Why it's just that the Holy Council has given me a probationary citizenship.  I'm only the fourth AI ever to be granted one."

"That's great, I suppose," said Tenchi, scratching his head.  "But what exactly does that mean?"

"For a Prince you sure can be dense sometimes you know," George said wryly.  "It means that I'm my own person now.  I won't need a new commander.  In fact, I've been given the rank of Lieutenant and put in charge of the platoon.  I'm really going to miss Nimby though…"

"I'm sure Washu could arrange for you to become a Guardian too," Ryoko said.

"And just why would I want to do that?" George snorted in derision.  "I was designed to run an armored combat unit, not be a refugee from the woodpile."

Tenchi broke into mild laughter.  "I'm sure Nimby would appreciate that comment."

"Um," George said contritely.  "You won't tell him I said that, will you?  I mean I'm glad he gets to stay with Ka'dithy but I wouldn't give up being me for anything."

"We wouldn't have you any other way."  Tenchi stood up and saluted George's command console.  "George, I'm going to miss you.  You've been a good friend to both Ryoko and me."

"Not to mention psychologist," quipped the ex-pirate from her seat.  Tenchi turned and looked at her strangely.  "Well he was," said Ryoko with a shrug.  "Hey, you were busy fooling around with the princess on Jurai.  I had to talk to someone, didn't I?"  Tenchi just rolled his eyes.

George cleared his imaginary throat with a sound that mimicked a file on tin.  "Anyway, it has been my pleasure to work with you, my Prince, Princess.  I hope that we can meet again sometime.  Since I hate long goodbyes and as the new platoon leader I have much to do, so I believe you know your way out?"  The hatch popped open again.

"I don't believe it," mumbled Ryoko as she grabbed Tenchi and floated down to the ground.  "We've just been dismissed by a machine.  Us, the Prince and Princess of Jurai."

"Well," chuckled Tenchi as they touched the ground.  "We haven't been officially kicked out of the army yet, so he does outrank us now."

"I was never really in the army," Ryoko reminded him.

"Merlaj was.  Even if she never actually went through training, she has a full set of records thanks to Washu."  Tenchi reached out and laid a hand on George's armored side for the last time.  "Goodbye my friend," he said quietly.

"Goodbye my Commander," the vehicle responded just as softly.  Ryoko too stepped up and touched the cool metal.  "Goodbye Specialist Merlaj," George rumbled.

"Later George," Ryoko replied.  "It's been fun."  She turned and walked off before either Tenchi or the AI could see the tears forming in her golden eyes.  Tenchi gave the scared hull a final pat and hurried off after his rapidly retreating wife.

*****

"Tenchi," whispered a musical voice in his ear.  There was a light nibble on said appendage.  "Prince Tenchi, my darling."

Tenchi groaned and pulled his pillow over his head.  "Not now, I'm too tired."

A hand gently pulled the pillow back and stroked his cheek.  "Prince Tenchi, I'm here for you."

Tenchi batted the offending limb away. "Go 'way Ryoko, four nights in a row is more than enough.  Let me get at least one night's sleep.  I thought you were spending time with Ayeka tonight anyway."

The hand came back.  "Prince Tenchi.  It's me."

This time he grabbed and held the fuzzy fingers away from his face.  He felt something move under the sheets.  Something that reached over to caress his belly.  Something covered with soft fur.  A tail.  A long, sinuous, furry tail.  Tenchi screamed and jumped out of bed.  "LIGHTS!" he called and was immediately blinded.  "Dim to 30%," he commanded before opening his eyes again.  On the mattress before him was Dreuma's teenage daughter, Dreasu, totally naked and trying to look seductive.  Tenchi grabbed the sheet which had fallen to the floor and wrapped it around himself, even though he was still wearing his shorts.  He averted his eyes.

Dreasu pouted.  "What's the matter, my Prince?  Don't you like what you see?"

"Yes!  No!  Yes… I mean you're very pretty, but…" Tenchi muttered to the wall.  He closed his eyes again to remove the temptation to stare.  "What are you doing in my room?" he asked.  "And where are your clothes?"

Dreasu got up and walked over to Tenchi, she ran a fury finger down his chest.  "My lord Tenchi, lovers such as we have no need for clothing."

_Oh God! _ Tenchi thought as he gently pushed her away.  _What if Ryoko or Ayeka were to come in right now? _  

Too late.  Tenchi heard the soft sound of Ryoko's teleport.  He cautiously opened one eye to find a naked space pirate, energy sword hissing in one hand and a very confused princess struggling into a bathrobe in the other.

"We heard the screaming," Ryoko announced.  "Just what in the twelve Juraian hells is going on in here?" she said as she spotted Dreasu standing with her arms crossed under her breasts.  

Anger and violence flared in golden eyes.  Her red and black battlesuit formed on her body.

"Ah.  Now I get it."  Ryoko advanced on the Mau girl, still dragging Ayeka with her.  Her sword stopped inches from Dreasu's furry muzzle.  "Still after my man are you?"

There was a banging on the door and Misaki's guard broke into the room from the common area of the suite, followed by the Queen herself.  Tenchi could just make out the log form of Nimby floating in the darkness beyond the door.

"Ryoko, stop!" commanded Misaki.  "Think about what you're about to do."

"I have," Ryoko snarled, but she backed off.  A now very frightened Dreasu sagged to the floor trying to cover her nakedness from the others.  Ayeka, her markings slightly visible on her cheeks and her red eyes flashing just as angrily as Ryoko's golden ones, pulled loose from the pirate and grabbed one of her spare robes from the closet.  She held it out to the Mau who snatched it from her hands and shrugged into it awkwardly, her tail hanging out from the rear of the long garment.

"I think we all need to talk," said Misaki.  She asked one of her guards to get Dreasu's father.

*****

Everyone gathered in the same room that Washu had given her presentation in a few days earlier.  Tenchi, Ryoko and Ayeka were fully dressed, as was Dreasu's father, Dreuma.  Dreasu was still wearing Ayeka's robe and nothing else.  The girl was scared, they could tell by the way her ears were flattened against her head and by the way her tail and whiskers drooped.

"You dishonor our family," Dreuma told his errant child.  "If your mother was still alive, this would probably kill her.  Whatever prompted you to do such a thing?"

"Father, you don't understand," Dreasu started to explain.

"Parent's never do," whispered Misaki to Tenchi.  Ayeka caught the words and looked at her mother.  "Stop it daughter, you were the same way.  I seem to remember hearing some rumors about you and a certain young noble when you were about her age." Ayeka flushed bright red and turned back to the father-daughter exchange taking place across the room.

"I don't want to be a farmer!" Dreasu was saying.  "I want off this dirtball, I want a life away from this!"

"Typical teenager…" Misaki muttered then patted Ryoko's hand.  "See what _you_ have to look forward to?"

"So you thought to use Prince Tenchi…" Dreuma stated coldly.

"I didn't care!" Dreasu shouted.  "Anyone would do, a Prince would've been great though, and he's good looking as well.  To live the life of a noble, that's any common girl's dream."

"You're hardly a _common_ girl," Dreuma yelled back.  "You would sacrifice your virtue just to leave?"

Dreasu sagged back in her seat and bowed her head.  "Oh father, get a clue.  I'm seventeen years old and there's pretty much nothing to do for amusement on Tamar IV.  I don't think you have to worry about my 'virtue' anymore."

Dreuma suddenly went cold, the rage draining out his mind as he looked away, shamed by his daughter's words spoken in front of the Juraians.

"Excuse me," Misaki chimed in, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she formulated a plan.  "If I understand Dreasu correctly, she wants a husband that will take her away from the life of a farmer."

"Yes, exactly!" said the Mau girl with emphasis.

"Well then, I think I just might have a solution."  She whispered something in Ryoko's ear that caused the pirate to grin and nod in agreement.  Ryoko teleported away.  "With your permission Dreuma, of course."

The old Mau threw his hands in the air.  "Do what you will with her my Queen.  I obviously have no control over her anymore."

Ryoko phased back into the room, a sleepy and complaining Soja clasped in her arms.  When the Lieutenant saw who was present he collapsed on the floor in a quivering heap.  "Oh goddess, not again!" he moaned.

"Stand up man!" Misaki commanded.  "Stop acting like a jellyfish and be the soldier you pretend to be."

Soja gathered himself together and stood up, eyeing Ryoko and Ayeka nervously.  His gaze settled on the miserable-looking Mau girl; pity, and maybe, just maybe something else showing in his eyes.

Misaki noticed this and smiled.  It confirmed her suspicions and her plan just might work.  "Lieutenant, it seems we have a problem you might be able to help us solve."

"What is that my Queen?" he asked in a tremulous voice.

"There's the small matter of your actions, or lack of them during the recent unpleasantness here on Tamar IV.  I'm willing to overlook all of that, and give you an assignment to the Palace if you'll do me one little favor."  Misaki indicated Dreasu, still looking dejected on the couch next to her father.  "Marry this girl."  The girl's pointy ears perked up at Misaki's words.  She eyed Soja appraisingly; she'd seen the young officer around the village and liked what she saw but she'd had her sights set on Tenchi.

Soja was startled.  "Marry…?  Ex…excuse me, your Highness?  You want me to _marry_ this girl?"

Misaki tittered.  "I believe that's what I said."  She saw the look on the man's face.  "Oh come now Lieutenant.  She's cute, comes from a good family and I've seen the way you've eyed her whenever you've encountered her around the village."

Soja cleared his throat and looked around the room.  "Ahem.  Well, yes.  She is very attractive…  And I _had_ thought of maybe asking her to spend some time with me.  You know, go on walks, out to dinner.  Things like that."  

_And if you'd have done that sooner we wouldn't be having this conversation now, _ Misaki thought and smiled at the man.

Soja looked back and forth between his liege and the Mau girl.  "Um, all will be forgiven?" 

"Certainly," the Queen agreed.  "And I believe I can even arrange for a promotion, as well as the new assignment."

"My Queen, my lords and ladies, I'll do it; but only if _she'll_ have _me_.  I will not force her against her will."  Dreasu jumped into his arms with a merry squeal, answering his question in her own unique way.

As the happy couple left, Ryoko turned to the Queen.  "I thought he was in love with Ayeka?"

"After the other day?  Oh no," the Queen answered with a laugh.  "He still _worships_ Ayeka as an ideal, but she's out of his reach now and he's aware of it; and as I said, I've seen the way he's watched the girl.  He's infatuated with her."

"Neatly done Mother," Ayeka said with approval.  "You give him what was going to get anyway and he believes it's a reward instead of a punishment.  And Dreasu gets her wish as well.  Very neatly done."  

Misaki grinned at her daughter.

Dreuma sighed.  "It's so hard to watch them grow up.  You try to shield them from life and it all comes back to slap you in the snout.  Will they be happy together I wonder?"

"Spoken like a true father," said Misaki settling back in her seat, weariness showing on her round face.  "Tenchi, you should be paying attention here; and so should you Ryoko, Ayeka.  Yes, I believe it will work out.  Palace duty is fairly easy and Soja's not a bad looking young man, he's intelligent as well, if a bit misguided at times.  There just may be hope for him in the future."

"The distant future," muttered Ryoko.

"Very distant," agreed Ayeka.

*****

A nondescript young man wearing farmer's clothing entered the concourse of the Juraian immigration satellite.  He was followed by two women of marked beauty although dressed as plainly as the man, one with a small brown animal perched on her shoulder and the other with a white animal in the same position.  Each had the hand of a child; the woman with the brown pet had a little girl while the woman with the white beast had a slightly older boy.  The little girl had a grumpy look on her face and kept trying to pull away from her mother and it sometimes seemed that the two _flickered_ occasionally.

The odd assemblage made their way to a small kiosk set off near one wall.  As they approached, the old soldier manning the booth carefully folded his newspaper and set it aside.  "Can I help you?" he asked the young man.

"I don't know if you remember me," Tenchi said.  "But several months ago I came through here and you were very helpful."

The old man squinted at him and searched his memory.  "Oh yeah.  The lad going into armor.  Don't get many of those, everyone want to be a space pilot nowadays.  So boy, they give you leave or something?"

Tenchi shook his head.  "Nope.  Discharged."

"Discharged?" the man's eyes narrowed.  "Say, you didn't screw up somehow, did you?"

"Well, sort of.  I was on Tamar IV and…"

"Oh.  Tamar IV.  Heard about that one.  A rough time, the unit there got chewed up pretty bad.  Heard they had some surprise help though, from ol' Ryoko.  Imagine that."

"Yes," Tenchi agreed.  "A friend of mine got seriously hurt, but she's going to pull through."

"That's too bad.  Hardship discharge then."   The old soldier shrugged.  "It happens.  So what brings you back here then?  Just sayin' goodbye?"

"Kinda.  You were so nice to me that I thought I'd introduce my family to you."  He put his hand on Ayeka's shoulder.  "This is my wife Ayeka and son Juro."

The old man shook the princess' hand.  "You look kinda familiar…" then reached over the counter and patted Juro on the head.  

"And my wife 'Yoko and daughter Keiko." Tenchi deliberately shortened his wife's name, wanting to gauge the other man's reaction when he found out who she really was.

The old soldier reached down to pat Keiko as he had Juro but his hand passed right through her.

"Oops, sorry 'bout that," said Ryoko with a laugh.  "She doesn't quite have control of her powers yet.  She keeps trying to teleport away, it's a real pain to keep up with her."

"Eh?  Powers?"  The old soldier looked closely at Ryoko, really noticing her hair and eyes for the first time.  The pirate grinned, showing her fangs.

"'Yoko you said your name was?  Not _Ryoko_?  As in…"

"Space Pirate, Scourge of the Galaxy, Demon of Jurai.  Yep, that'd be me, and this is Ryo-ohki," she said, scratching the cabbit under her fuzzy chin.  "But I'm all reformed now.  Sorta.  Right princess?"

"P…princess?"  His head whipped around and he peered at the other woman.  "Ayeka?    _Princess Ayeka_, the future Empress?"

Ayeka giggled behind her hand and nodded.

"I need to sit down," he said, falling back onto his stool.  He rubbed his eyes and stared at the two women.  "This can't be real.  Then you would be…"  He looked up at Tenchi with pleading eyes, waiting to hear that it was all a dream.  Tenchi smiled and bowed.  The man's eyes rolled back into his head and he fainted dead away.  Ryoko looked down at the unconscious man and "tsked".

"Tenchi," Ayeka said.  "We really must be going, I'm sure Mihoshi is becoming impatient."

"Mihoshi, impatient?"  Ryoko snorted.  "She's probably got poor Ka'dithy backed in a corner telling her all about the latest soaps.  Doesn't even realize we're not there yet.  Yukinojo might send out the search parties though…"

"Yay! " cheered little Juro, bouncing up and down as children are apt to do.  "We get to play with Yukinojo!"

"No dear," chided the boy's mother.  "Yukinojo's going to be too busy looking after Aunt Mihoshi.  You can play with Nimby instead."

"Yay!  Nimby!"

"Tenchi, come on," called Ryoko as she moved off after Ayeka towards the docking bay where their ride home waited.  "Let the poor man sleep, he's had a rough time.  It's not every day you get to meet Space Pirate Ryoko and live."

*****

The End

*****

Author's Notes

Well, this piece brings this chapter of my exceedingly long and boring tale to a close.  I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

On a more personal note, I really appreciate all of those other authors and readers who have stuck with me this far.  You make all of this worth it, believe me.   Even if you've never left a review I am still grateful you took the time to peruse my little world here.

The title of this chapter was intended to have multiple meanings: Tenchi saying goodbye to the military, Ryoko and Tenchi saying so long to George and even Dreasu saying goodbye to her father and her old life.  

And there was one other meaning as well.  

As a couple of you know, some small things occurred recently in my personal life and triggered a bout of mild depression.  During this episode a couple of fic-related issues, which I normally would have shrugged off as meaningless, hit me in the wrong way.  And thus I had pretty much decided that this would be the last fic I would ever write. (Save the applause until the end please.)  But Ministry Agent, in his own inimitable way, convinced me that I should continue, at least for a while. (You may all boo him and pelt him with rotten vegetables any time you wish.)  He pointed out to me that there were still some potential unexplored story lines hidden in some of my previous fics.  So I took his suggestions; I've already started the next one, expect the first chapter out sometime in the near future.

And Meekachu, I wasn't going to give up on _Forgiveness _because I've really enjoyed helping you with that collaboration; I just wasn't going to write my own stuff anymore.  But that's all moot now anyway, isn't it?

As always, comments and criticism are welcome either by review, Email or Instant Messenger.

*****

Review Responses

Crion – Ayeka's fantasy during dinner was a last-minute addition, but I'm glad you liked it.

Dennisud – You should know by now that I don't write scenes that graphic.  Besides, they didn't actually hurt him, just scared the you-know-what out of him.  I've thought about having someone draw a picture of Ka'dithy.  Lizzy, are you interested in trying it for me?

Ministry Agent – What can I say except thanks.  Although you didn't actually help with anything specific in this piece you've managed to keep me from giving up altogether.

Smack54 – Yeah, it took me a while to pick it up again after Chapter 7.  I just lost heart for a bit.  I like the way your story's going, keep it coming.

TopQuark – This is the final piece of this story.  I hope you enjoy the next one as much.

Alighthawk – Gee, I wonder what could have triggered my memory?  I did respond to your email and even tried to IM you one evening about it.  I don't know if you got either though so I'll assume you didn't.  To answer your question, the response has been most positive, go for it.

Phillip – I could have Washu upgrade George, but with the Dimensional Cannon?  What could he possibly use that for?  Besides, it's the wrong continuity.  Thanks for the suggestion though, maybe in a future fic I'll have them run across something equipped with a similar weapon.

Wharpt – I had that same vision in my mind when I finished writing that part about Ayeka.  Right now I have no plans to write a story about Ka'dithy's time on Earth but it could be a fun story to do sometime in the future.

Negative-Z – Nothing bothers Ryoko's libido, especially where Tenchi is concerned.  In fact, battle probably makes it worse.  Could this go on indefinitely?  Well, I do have an outline for around 35,000 years.  There are a lot of potential stories in there, digging them out of the clutter of my mind is the problem.

Lizzy Hakubi – I like the poems you wrote and I'm glad to see you posting again, it's been too long.  Now, about that drawing of Ka'dithy…

Priest – Thanks for the review and the info.

*****

BobR

2/15/2003


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